Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism in Berlin, LGBT memorial in Tiergarten, Berlin, Germany
The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism is a 3.60-metre-tall, 1.90-metre-wide concrete cuboid designed by Michael Elmgreen and Ingar Dragset. A glazed opening on its front face shows a short film of two men kissing, filmed on ORWO black-and-white stock. The block stands on gravel beside grass and trees at the edge of the Tiergarten.
The monument was inaugurated in 2008 following years of discussion about recognizing homosexual victims. Its establishment came decades after other victim groups had already been publicly honored, reflecting the delayed public reckoning with this chapter.
The memorial's German name, Denkmal für die im Nationalsozialismus verfolgten Homosexuellen, names the group commemorated. A plaque beside the concrete cuboid is written in German and English and addresses persecution under Nazism and the continued enforcement of Paragraph 175 in West and East Germany until its reform in 1969, attenuation in 1973 and voiding in 1994.
The concrete cuboid stands outdoors near the edge of the Tiergarten, a short walk from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, so it can be viewed at any time. A signboard beside it is written in German and English and explains persecution under Nazism and Paragraph 175. The viewing window sits near the middle of the front face, at roughly eye level.
The film inside was shot by director Thomas Vinterberg and cinematographer Robby Müller on old ORWO black-and-white stock. From 2012 to 2014 a version titled Kuss ohne Ende showed kissing couples of different ages, and the original film returned from 2014 to 2017.
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