According to former SPD MP Markus Meckel, the 30-ton boulder in Berlin is a “worthy” monument for Polish victims of German aggression during World War II. The politician sees no reason to replace what was supposedly a temporary solution with a new one. Instead, he wants to change the inscription on the monument to one that would not imply that his compatriots bear responsibility for the crimes committed against Poles.
In June of this year, a “monument” commemorating Polish victims of German aggression during World War II was unveiled in Berlin, on the site of the former Kroll Opera House. The object is a 30-ton glacial boulder. This “gesture” from the Germans sparked a wave of criticism among Polish patriots from the very beginning. It now turns out, however, that for the other side, this temporary monument is sufficient.
“The monument is worthy”
This was stated by former SPD member of parliament and long-time chairman of the German-Polish Parliamentary Group, Markus Meckel, in an interview with the daily Der Tagesspiegel. He recalled that the monument was intended as a temporary substitute for another memorial, to be placed in the future Polish-German House, which has yet to be built. From his words, however, it appears that a proper commemoration is unnecessary.
“After all, this monument is dignified and well-designed – a massive stone placed in a central and historically appropriate location, on the site of the former Kroll Opera, where on September 1, 1939, Hitler announced war on Poland. Right in the center of Berlin, near the Chancellery,”
he stated, questioning why it should be treated as a temporary solution.
Meckel went further: “What is missing from it? What is behind this idea? Should a new monument be more monumental? Should it compete with the Holocaust Memorial? In my opinion, that would be absurd and would not serve the purpose of remembrance. I would understand if one wished to complement this, what I believe to be a very fitting stone, with an artistic work. But not to replace this monument with a new one!” he argued.
Nothing about German responsibility
The German politician also dislikes the wording currently inscribed on the monument. It presently reads: “To the Polish victims of Nazism and of German occupation and terror in Poland, 1939–1945.” He claims that all victims from the territory of the former Second Polish Republic should be commemorated – Ukrainians, Belarusians, and Jews – adding that many Germans also lived there at the time.
According to Meckel, the inscription should be changed. He proposed one that makes no mention of who committed the crimes: “Victims of war, occupation, and racism in the years 1939–1945.”
The report
Let us recall that on September 1, 2022, a report detailing Poland’s losses as a result of German aggression and occupation during World War II was presented. On October 3, Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau signed a diplomatic note to the German government regarding war reparations. In it, Poland demanded compensation for material and non-material losses amounting to 6 trillion 220 billion 609 million zlotys, as well as restitution for damages suffered.
Although current government officials no longer raise the issue of reparations, President Karol Nawrocki continues to do so. This year, on the anniversary of the outbreak of World War II, he emphasized that Poland does not absolve Germany of its obligation to pay compensation. He added that by providing reparations, Berlin would not cause Poland to suffer “historical amnesia,” but rather “would finally bring closure to a specific issue – reparations that are essential for our genuine, final reconciliation, for peace, and for the future.”
