Memorial to the Victims of Fascism

The Ehrenmal für die Opfer des Faschismus stands in Neustrelitz, a town in the Mecklenburgische Seenplatte district. It occupies a triangular space near the railway station, on the corner of Marienstraße and Friedrich-Wilhelm-Straße. The site once held a different monument, built in 1899 to honour soldiers lost in the Franco-Prussian War. That bronze sculpture by Martin Wolff was melted down for armaments in 1943. After the war the remaining pedestal was removed, clearing the way for the present memorial. The present obelisk is a twenty-metre tower of dark, hard-baked bricks. It rises from a stepped square base and ends in a metal point. A pointed arch niche on one side holds a bronze plaque bearing the words ‘DEN OPFERN DES FASCHISMUS’. The plaque was damaged in 1997 and replaced. On days of remembrance the town gathers here to recall the victims of National Socialism and the liberation from it. Nearby are other places that keep this history alive. Visitors find a quiet square framed by trees and low buildings. The obelisk dominates the small open space, its dark brickwork contrasting with the lighter surroundings. The renewed inscription plate is clearly visible in its niche. A few paces away, the railway station provides a reminder of Neustrelitz’s role as a transport hub. The memorial’s simplicity invites reflection on the events it commemorates.