Isn’t it intriguing how a stone monument can spark so much debate? This is the Traindenkmal. It stands here as a memorial with a complex history. The Traindenkmal commemorates soldiers of the 7th Royal Westphalian Train Battalion. This unit was a military supply unit stationed in Muenster.
Let’s delve into its origins. The Traditionsverein, an ex-serviceman’s association, initiated it. Sculptor Franz Rüther designed it with architect A. Buchs. The Train Memorial was officially opened on July 4th and 5th, 1925. It is about six meters in height. It widens as it rises, like an inverted obelisk.
Engravings and lettering adorn all four sides. Symbols of the imperial eagle, Iron Cross, and soldier’s helmet are visible. Bronze plaques with inscriptions are set in front of and behind the memorial.
Initially, the Train Memorial honored those who died in World War I. It aimed to give meaning to their deaths. The monument’s symbols are nationalistic and militaristic. The Train Battalion was stationed in Muenster from 1853 to 1918. They had barracks in different parts of the city. The Train Memorial commemorates 855 soldiers from the 7th Train Battalion who died in the First World War.
However, the Train Memorial’s story doesn’t end there. Debate arose around the bronze plaques. Inscriptions commemorate a member of the Train Battalion who died in China. He died during the Boxer Rebellion suppression. They also commemorate two soldiers who died in German South West Africa. This was during the brutal suppression of the Herero and Nama uprisings in 1905/06. This gives the war memorial a colonial dimension.
It is important to know that only volunteers from the Train Battalion participated in the military actions in China and South West Africa. The operations in present-day Namibia were recognized as genocide by the UN in 1948. The German government formally adopted the same position in 2015.
Speeches at the Train Memorial’s inauguration in 1925 focused on World War I soldiers. They made no reference to the three soldiers who died in colonial conflicts. Speakers expressed historical revisionism. One wished for the day when Germans could stand proudly before monuments to their dead.
Over time, the Train Memorial has provoked debate and political protests. A key criticism has been the failure to commemorate victims of colonial crimes. In 1982, Arbeitskreis Afrika veiled the Train Memorial. They wrote, “This memorial is a badge of shame.” They highlighted the genocide committed in Germany’s colony. They linked it to the genocide of Jews under Nazism.
A proposal to add a plaque describing the German genocide of the Herero and Nama was rejected. The City Council argued against altering older war memorials. After rejection, AKAFRIK presented a commemorative plaque as a gift. The Green Alternative Party called for its permanent installation.
In 2009, the Social Democratic Party proposed another memorial plaque. It was erected in 2010. In 2017, DIE LINKE proposed a critical examination of Muenster’s war memorials including the Train Memorial. That year, an anti-monument artwork was installed nearby.
In June 2020, the City Council decided to install the plaque proposed by Arbeitskreis Afrika in 1984. The city wanted to convert the Train Memorial into a place for discourse on war memorials. In 2022, the City of Muenster admitted German responsibility for colonial injustice. They also admitted the genocide of the Herero and Nama between 1904 and 1908.
The Train Memorial stands not just as a monument. It also serves as a reminder of the past. It reminds us to learn from history. It encourages us to engage in critical dialogue.