White Crosses
Encyclopedia
White Crosses is a memorial for those who died during the Cold War
at the Berlin Wall
. It is located at the shore of the river Spree
in Berlin
next to the Reichstag building, which houses the German parliament. Established by the private group Berliner Bürger-Verein on the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Wall in 1971 it was first located east of the Reichstag on a fence directly in front of the wall. After the German reunification
in 1990 it kept its location until construction of the new government buildings next to the Reichstag was started at the end of that century – Berlin was chosen to be the new capital of Germany.
During construction the memorial was moved to a location south of the Reichstag next to the Tiergarten
. On the 50th anniversary of the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
it was moved to the new location on the riverbank, which is slightly north-west of its original location. The opening speech was given by then President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse
.
landside
riverside
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
at the Berlin Wall
Berlin Wall
The Berlin Wall was a barrier constructed by the German Democratic Republic starting on 13 August 1961, that completely cut off West Berlin from surrounding East Germany and from East Berlin...
. It is located at the shore of the river Spree
Spree
The Spree is a river that flows through the Saxony, Brandenburg and Berlin states of Germany, and in the Ústí nad Labem region of the Czech Republic...
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
next to the Reichstag building, which houses the German parliament. Established by the private group Berliner Bürger-Verein on the 10th anniversary of the Berlin Wall in 1971 it was first located east of the Reichstag on a fence directly in front of the wall. After the German reunification
German reunification
German reunification was the process in 1990 in which the German Democratic Republic joined the Federal Republic of Germany , and when Berlin reunited into a single city, as provided by its then Grundgesetz constitution Article 23. The start of this process is commonly referred by Germans as die...
in 1990 it kept its location until construction of the new government buildings next to the Reichstag was started at the end of that century – Berlin was chosen to be the new capital of Germany.
During construction the memorial was moved to a location south of the Reichstag next to the Tiergarten
Tiergarten
Tiergarten is a locality within the borough of Mitte, in central Berlin . Notable for the great and homonymous urban park, before German reunification, it was a part of West Berlin...
. On the 50th anniversary of the Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
Uprising of 1953 in East Germany
The Uprising of 1953 in East Germany started with a strike by East Berlin construction workers on June 16. It turned into a widespread anti-Stalinist uprising against the German Democratic Republic government the next day....
it was moved to the new location on the riverbank, which is slightly north-west of its original location. The opening speech was given by then President of the Bundestag Wolfgang Thierse
Wolfgang Thierse
Wolfgang Thierse is a German politician .- Early years in the GDR :Thierse was born in Breslau . He is a Roman Catholic and grew up in East Germany. After his A-levels he first worked as a typesetter in Weimar...
.
Victim's names
The names of 13 victims are inscribed on both sides of the 7 crosses. One cross is devoted to the unknown victims of the wall. The selection contains the first and last victim who were killed by gunfire. Most of the victims died between 1961 and 1965.landside
- Günter LitfinGünter LitfinGünter Litfin was the second victim at the Berlin Wall, and the first to succumb to gunshots.The tailor from the borough of Weißensee, like his father, was a member of the illegal local branch of the West German Christian Democrats...
, August, 24th 1961 - Udo Düllick, October, 5th 1961
- Hans Räwel, January, 1st 1963
- Klaus Schröter, November, 4th 1963
- Heinz SokolowskiHeinz Sokolowskithumb| Memorial to Heinz SokolowskiHeinz Sokolowski was a casualty of the Cold War at the Berlin Wall...
, November, 25th 1965 - Marienetta Jirkowsky, November, 22nd 1980
- „den unbekannten Opfern an der Mauer“ (german: to the unknown victims of the wall)
riverside
- Werner Probst, October, 14th 1961
- Ingo Krüger, Dezember, 10th 1961
- Philipp Held, April, 11th 1962
- Axel Hannemann, June, 5th 1962
- Lutz Haberlandt, June, 27th 1962
- Wolf-Olaf Muszinski, March 1963
- Chris GueffroyChris GueffroyChris Gueffroy was the last person to be shot while trying to escape to West Berlin across the Berlin Wall...
, February, 5th 1989