In Sight but out of Mind: the Construction of Memory at Three Once Stigmatized Sites in Berlin and Poznań
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IN SIGHT BUT OUT OF MIND: THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEMORY AT THREE ONCE STIGMATIZED SITES IN BERLIN AND POZNAŃ By Stephen Paul Naumann A DISSERTATION Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy German Studies 2012 ABSTRACT IN SIGHT BUT OUT OF MIND: THE CONSTRUCTION OF MEMORY AT THREE ONCE STIGMATIZED SITES IN BERLIN AND POZNAŃ By Stephen Paul Naumann This study explores cultural identity reflected in the urban landscape at three structures formerly identified with National Socialism: Berlin’s Olympiastadion (Olympic Stadium) and Siegessäule (Victory Column), and Poznań’s Zamek cesarski (formerly Kaiserschloss – or Imperial Castle). My analysis is based on local and state archival work, as well as the examination of literary, visual and media sources in both Germany and Poland. I conclude that after the structures were first used to project meaning from Cold War tropes, both tourism and the enhancement of local identity in the face of European and global influences eventually contributed to the shift in meaning at these spaces in both cities. Poznań’s Zamek cesarski, a palace first commissioned by German Kaiser Wilhelm II, became, with its dedication in 1910, a monument to Prussian-German imperialism in this multi- ethnic Polish-German-Jewish city. Rededicated by the new Polish republic after World War I, the structure was later remodeled by the Nazis for Hitler’s use. One of their most prominent additions is still visible today: the Führerbalkon, a balcony extending off the front of the building for Hitler to watch military parades. After 1945, the partially damaged neo-Romanesque building was repaired and maintained by the Polish postwar administration, and today serves citizens as the multifaceted Centrum Kultury “Zamek” (Center of Culture “Zamek”). The physical space surrounding the building has been drastically changed, as a number of Polish monuments and memorials have been erected around the palace’s perimeter. Similarly, Olympiastadion and the Siegessäule, despite their design and function as sites of German history and national memory, are increasingly associated today with the city of Berlin. Both have hosted a number of cultural events: the stadium has maintained its function to this day, while the monument was first neglected and decades later became associated with a number of popular events in the reunified capital. After first demonstrating Hitler’s personal interest in the design and the Nazis’ use of each structure, I center my work on each site in its post-1945 landscape. I analyze the debates on whether or not to purge the structures from the urban landscape and examine questions of appearance, utilization and repurposing during the decades of the Cold War. Finally, I describe the emphasis on historical and new events, the erection of monuments and the structures’ depiction in cultural texts that have also had an impact on the public perception of the three spaces in today’s Berlin and Poznań. Examining sites with a similar past in both cities also allows a comparative look at memory trends in Germany and Poland – two nations where decisions regarding memorialization and urban development have been carefully scrutinized in the public sphere. In addition to contributing to the growing field of work on the use of public space to establish cultural memory, this project demonstrates processes by which even the most meaningful cultural associations can be rewritten. Copyright by STEPHEN PAUL NAUMANN 2012 To my loving parents v ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the institutions and individuals for their important roles in helping me bring this project to fruition. I received generous funding from the United States Department of Education in the form of a Fulbright Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad grant, The Kosciuszko Foundation, and The Graduate School at Michigan State University (MSU), who supported my research in Poznań and Berlin for two academic years and a summer. Additional funding from MSU’s German Studies Program; Department of Linguistics and Germanic, Slavic, Asian & African Languages; and College of Arts & Letters supported my work with the Polish language for several summers in Poznań during my graduate education. I am indebted to the wonderful teachers, colleagues and friends at The School of Polish Language and Culture for Foreign Students at Adam Mickiewicz University (AMU). Mr. Marek Góralczyk in particular helped me understand more than any of my books could. Dr. Rafał Witkowski was invaluable as both friend and mentor, giving me an academic home in Poznań at AMU’s Institute of History. Dr. Tomasz Mizerkiewicz, a wonderful scholar and friend, gave me the opportunity to share my work with his students on various occasions. Mr. Janusz Pazder, who knows more about the Zamek than anyone, kept me up to date on the latest events at Centrum Kultury “Zamek” (Center of Culture “Zamek”) and scholarly sources on the building. He also shared his insight on the castle’s history during our frequent discussions. Director Henryk Krystek at Archiwum Państwowe w Poznaniu (State Archives in Poznań) was both kind and welcoming and the archival staff was incredibly efficient and eternally patient. The scholars and professional staffs at both AMU’s University Library system and Biblioteka Raczyńskich as well as at Instytut Zachodni were equally efficient, helpful and supportive. vi Special thanks to Mr. Jakub Skutecki at AMU’s Special Collections Department for sharing his digital collection. Ms. Alexandra Dolczewska at the office of Poznań’s Miejski Konserwator Zabytków assisted me in tracking down some of the city’s valuable visual archives. In Berlin the professionals at the Landesarchiv Berlin were unbelievably kind and knowledgeable, particularly Ms. Monika Bartszch, Ms. Monika Fröhlich and Mr. Peter Seemel. Dr. Werner Breunig shared his expertise on the OMGUS archives from post-war occupied Berlin. Dr. Roland Foitzik’s expertise in the catalog of the Bundesarchiv’s Filmabteilung provided me with a number of fascinating sources. The Bundesarchiv staff in Koblenz as well as those at the Geheimes Staatsarchiv Preußischer Kulturbesitz and the Zentrum für Berlin-Studien in the Haus Berliner Stadtbibliothek are deserving of special thanks as well. Thank you to Dr. Heinrich Schwendemann and Dr. Gregor Thum in Freiburg, and to Dr. Christian Myschor and Piotr Grzelczak in Poznań for their invaluable insights, suggestions and feedback. My dear friends Marko Andric, Johannes Ehrmann, Christian Kerpal and Christian Schewe provided me with somewhere to stay during my frequent visits to Berlin and were always ready to kick the football when I needed to take my mind off work for a couple hours. The four members of my dissertation committee – Dr. Patrick McConeghy, Dr. Elizabeth Mittman and Dr. Keely Stauter-Halsted, and my chair, Dr. George Peters, were always there for me. They helped me explore this interdisciplinary project from their respective areas of expertise, and their critique, encouragement and insight helped me shape the project into what it is today. I am also grateful to the German Studies faculty and my fellow graduate students at Michigan State University for their ideas and unwavering support. My students and colleagues at Transylvania University, especially Dr. Richard Weber, shared their ideas and encouragement, and provided me with a wonderful atmosphere for teaching and research this year while I vii finished my writing. In addition to speaking to students at AMU, I had the opportunity to share my work at stimulating conferences hosted by Purdue University, Vanderbilt University, the University of Kentucky, and Centrum Turystyki Kulturowej TRAKT in Poznań. Special thanks to Mr. Zbigniew Antczak, Pastor Bernhard Felmberg, Mr. Janusz Pazder, Director Marek Raczak at Centrum Kultury “Zamek,” Mr. Carsten Spallek and Ms. Krystyna Szczepanowska for sharing their time and insights with me in interviews, and to Mr. Dariusz Krakowiak, Ms. Anna Pikuła, Mr. Viktor Pawlowski, Mr. Günter Schneider, Landesarchiv Berlin, Miejski Konserwator Zabytków in Poznań and Muzeum Narodowe w Poznaniu for graciously allowing me to use their visual materials. Finally, thank you to my parents and family, who have always been with me throughout my travels, and to Agata and her family for giving me a home in Poznań. viii NOTE TO THE READER Because this dissertation, at least in its initial version, has been written for the field of German Studies, all German-language sources have been cited in the original. Polish-language sources have been translated into English and the original has been provided in a footnote. In an effort to avoid over-translation, I refer to place names in their original language, particularly for the many buildings, streets, landmarks and urban sites that are an important part of this study. For place names in Polish and other languages other than German, I have provided an English translation in parentheses immediately following the first instance. I made a few exceptions in the interest of readability, referring occasionally to a longer name or institution directly in English. In regard to the three structures on which the dissertation is based, I generally use their current names: Zamek cesarski, Olympiastadion and the Siegessäule. When discussing specific historical periods when structures or cities had names other than their current ones, I use the form used by the prevailing political authorities of that respective era. ix TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF FIGURES xii KEY TO ABBREVIATIONS xiv CHAPTER 1 Forgetting the Past: The Rewriting of Collective Memory 1 I. Introductory Scenes Poznań, August 20, 2010 1 Berlin, May 20, 2011 3 Berlin, July 9, 2006 5 II. Methodological Approach to Defining Three Spaces 6 III. Interpreting Meaning: A Hermeneutic Approach 11 IV. Temporal and Global Effects on Collective Memory 14 V. Musealization and the Promotion of the Local 17 VI. Two Paths Diverged: Memorialization and Forgetting 19 VII. Comparative Contexts: German and Polish Memory Tropes 21 CHAPTER 2 “The Word in Stone”: Three Structures as Billboards of National-Socialist Triumph 27 I.