What Remains?

Why are (were) we here? That is, why is (was) the U.S. Army in ? Of course, it all boils down to events that took place many decades ago with the rise and fall of Nazi . Without this monumental calamity, U.S. troops never would have set foot in Heidelberg. However, historical counterfactual reasoning is always only of limited value!

It definitely got me thinking about what is transpiring with the “transformation.” Heidelberg, the city, is going nowhere. The U.S. military (and NATO) communities are. It is an unusual situation. A part of a city is disappearing, although that part was never fully integrated into the whole. Sometimes more, sometimes less, all dependent on who and/or when. What do current and former community members think and remember? What does and will the German community think and remember?

The U.S. military has been in Heidelberg since 1945, a rather brief time since the first documentation of “Heidelberch” in 1196, and an especially brief time when considering the Celts, Romans and Germanic peoples who lived in the region well before 1196. In comparison to the “Heidelberg-Man” of 600,000 years ago, the 68 years is a drop in the bucket. (He was not found in Heidelberg, but close enough to get the name).

There are millions of aspects of varying levels surrounding the Army’s history in Heidelberg. In 68 years, will anyone remember that Nelson Mandela landed at the Heidelberg Army Airfield for his visit to the city in 1999? Will the University Clinics still miss that same airfield where medical flights used to land? What about the RPG attack on CINC General Frederick J. Kroesen in 1981? (Talk about organized chaos and security going from zero to a hundred…and then back down again). The personal contacts and friendships developed during 68 years…..how many former or retired soldiers stayed? How many Germans married Americans and now live in the or vice versa?

The United States Army in Europe was headquartered in Heidelberg during the Cold War; no matter if one was a German, American, capitalist, socialist, communist, democrat, civilian, soldier, liberal, conservative, realist, peace activist or “hawk,” this simple fact had implications far beyond the Heidelberg city limits.

Especially for the military community members, the various bases will hold memories. The hospital complex may no longer exist in 68 years, a place that once comprised an alcohol residential treatment facility, intensive care unit, morgue, and many other institutions. Who knows how many children were born on Ward 4?! The former gymnasium should be there for quite a while due to its historical monument status; all traces of the bookstore, library, retail store, snack bar, movie theater, print shop, photo developing studio, club, helipad, and, and, and…., will surely fade. (In fact, many of them already disappeared well before the present). What of the negligible scars of WWII that can be found (with a very careful eye) in Heidelberg? Will bomb craters at the Kohlhof last another 68 years? Eventually, someone will fix the scar left on a bridge near the Bergfriedhof by an exploding freight train in 1945. It will also not be long before the Germans who experienced the first Army troops in 1945 are no longer around. The majority, particularly those that were children at the time, have good memories of that significant event.

Will the Foot Locker building on the Hauptstrasse, the first Army PX, still be around in 68 years? The “occupation” of the world-famous castle after WWII was certainly one of the most peaceful “occupations” of a castle in history! The “pseudo” mosque in the Schwetzingen Castle Gardens is going to be there for a long, long time, but who will be able to say anything about its use as an Army Officer’s Club after WWII? (OK, Schwetzingen is not Heidelberg, but close enough).

There are no definitive answers to who thinks what and will think what about the U.S. Army presence in Heidelberg; in the same vein, who knows which landmarks will exist in the future as a reminder. From my personal experiences, it is safe to say that a large part of the military community members loved it in Heidelberg. For the vast majority of Germans, the Army has just always been there. Some are sad to see the Army go, some are indifferent and a few are glad. (Those who regularly attended the week-long German-American Volksfests on PHV definitely miss that)! Independent of one’s political or social perspectives, the role of the U.S. Army during the Cold War was an important factor in its continuation and its end.

It is also important to remember that there were unpleasant or difficult moments during the presence of the Army in Heidelberg. Of course, the occupation immediately following WWII was not seen by all Germans as a good thing, especially if one permanently lost property and temporarily lost housing. The American soldiers, who lost comrades and friends fighting the Germans, did not simply arrive in Heidelberg as friendly tourists. Protests, a vital part of democratic culture, were a part of German-American relations from the 1960’s onwards. Particularly the Vietnam War, the so-called NATO “Double Track Decision,” Operation Desert Shield/Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom were motives for large-scale demonstrations in front of Campbell Barracks. However, there were also solidarity displays, and not just the widespread support after 9/11.

The economic impact of the “transformation” in Heidelberg is and will be minimal, unlike smaller German communities that were home to U.S. forces: Crailsheim, Wildflecken, Bad Hersfeld, Schwäbisch Gmünd, Butzbach, Friedberg and Zweibrücken are just a few of the towns that suffered a noticeable economic decline after the departure of the U.S. military.

So, what remains? All of the above mentioned elements are only a few, select pieces in a large mosaic. To touch upon all the aspects of the U.S. Army in Heidelberg would require extensive research, resulting in a voluminous book. (Hmm, that’s an idea!). How does one summarize something that is comprised of local, regional and global events and politics, defeat, victory, partnership, dependence, independence, cooperation, military strategy, economics, personal relationships, friendship, antagonism, simple day-to-day life and memories of it all?

One way to summarize may be to look at the first German Youth Center in Heidelberg at Römerstrasse 87. In 1952, the building was funded and planned in large part by the United States Army. German youth knew no such institution up to that point. The Army saw it as another piece in the puzzle of de-nazification, but also as a way of building trust and friendship with the local community. Notwithstanding the recent defeat of Nazi Germany, the steps towards developing democracy and the Cold War, trust and friendship were much needed on a local level as the construction of MTV and PHV began in 1949 and 1952, respectively. Many farmers were not very happy about losing their land! Not to mention, at least 102 private and public buildings remained confiscated through 1956. (The last one returned was the Molkenkur hotel/restaurant in 1957).

Nevertheless, in the new Youth Center, young Heidelbergers were impacted by elements of American culture. Music and dance rank at the top, but the most important component was a more democratic approach to education and recreation. Of course, many other aspects played a role in the process, and it was taking place all over (West) Germany. In spheres of American influence, the U.S. Army was at the forefront in the post-WW II years.

The building is still there. It is common knowledge that the Army built it (but who cares, German or American?). The Germans developed one of the most dynamic and stable multi-party democracies in the world. Big things and little things, like the Youth Center on Römerstrasse, contributed. No matter what physical reminders of the U.S. Army remain in Heidelberg, no matter what any American or German thinks, remembers or cares about the 68 year Army presence in Heidelberg, it is the political and social aspects that “came along” with the Youth Center that are indelibly imbedded in the “memory” of the U.S. Army in Heidelberg!

That is a pretty good thing!

Christian Praesent is an amateur historian, political scientist, writer, philosopher, educator, etc. who has lived continuously in Heidelberg since 1975, with a three year intermezzo in Munich and . After attending MTV Elementary School, the (brand new) Middle School and the High School, he worked on Nachrichten Kaserne, Campbell Barracks, MTV, PHV, Tompkins Barracks and the Community Support Center for AAFES, DEH (a.k.a DPW), the 130th Station Hospital, the 95th Combat Support Hospital, H-MEDDAC, the 43rd Signal Bn, the Provost Marshal Office and MWR. His continuing education has been with the University of Maryland Munich Campus, Augsburg Campus and European Division, including memberships in Pi Gamma Mu, Phi Alpha Theta and Alpha Sigma Lambda.