80 years of peace: Tempelhof-Schöneberg honored the victims of the war!

80 years of peace: Tempelhof-Schöneberg honored the victims of the war!

Levallois-Perret, Frankreich - On May 8, 2025, district mayor Jörn Oltmann traveled to Levallois-Perret, France at the invitation of Mayor Agnes Pottier-Dumas. The occasion was the memorial event on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War. This ceremony began at the central cemetery of Levallois, where wreaths at the monument to the victims of fascism were laid down, including a wreath for Tempelhof-Schöneberg. The commemoration culminated in the singing of the Marseillaise.

Following the ceremony followed a two -hour tour of the city center. Representatives from politics, administration, military, children's and youth parliament and numerous veterans took part in this tour. The event was a symbolic sign of the close Franco-German friendship, which, both mayor Pottier-Dumas and district mayor Oltmann, emphasized as the basis for European understanding.

The culture of memory in Germany and France

The memorial days of the First and Second World War are linked in Germany and France, but shaped by different memories and historical narratives. As stated in a report by Chemins de Mémoire, the memory of the First World War is often dominated by the stories of the brave soldiers, while the memory of the Second World War inevitably is associated with the serious crimes against humanity.

In Germany, the recognition of the National Socialist crimes has become more important since the 1970s. Memorial days like May 8th have long been controversial in Germany; Richard von Weizsäcker declared the day as a "day of liberation" in 1985. In contrast, defeat and collaboration during the war are often disguised in French memory.

memorial sites and processing

A remarkable example of the memorial efforts in Germany is the memorial at the Frankfurt wholesale market hall. This site is reminiscent of the deportation of Jews from Frankfurt am Main during National Socialism. Between October 1941 and September 1942, around 10,050 people were deported from the Großmarkthalle train station at ten mass reports. Only 179 of them survived the Second World War.

The city of Frankfurt am Main has planned a memorial in cooperation with the European Central Bank and the Jewish community, which was opened in 2015. This not only commemorates the murder of the Jews, but also provides information about the crimes committed. The design comes from the Katzkaiser architecture firm and contains quotes from murdered Frankfurt citizens. These quotes are enrolled both in the basement area and outdoors of the ECB and address the course of the deportations and the emotions of those affected.

In Frankfurt, the stories of 12,820 murdered Jews are documented, 10,231 of which were deported by train. The publicly accessible area of ​​the memorial offers visitors the opportunity to deal with the past and to understand the dimensions of the crime.

Overall, the memorial event in Levallois-Perret and the current commemoration initiatives in Germany illustrates the value of the culture of memory and its role in the political landscape of both countries. Franco-German friendship is strengthened by such common memorial celebrations and can be seen as a model for overcoming historical conflicts.

May 8th and similar memorial days are not only an opportunity to commemorate the past, but also an opportunity to remind you of the importance of peace and European unification. As Angela Merkel emphasized in 2009 in the inflammation of the eternal memorial flame of the unknown soldier, the commemoration is a central component of future political relationships.

For further information on the memorial event in Levallois-Perret, read the article on berlin.de . You can find more details on the memorial at the Frankfurter wholesale market hall on Wikipedia . Information about common commemorative celebrations is available on Chemins de mémoire .