Protest in Schwerin: Lenin monument comes across outraged resistance!
Protest in Schwerin: Lenin monument comes across outraged resistance!
Schwerin, Deutschland - On June 14, 2025, around three dozen representatives of victim associations gathered in front of the controversial Lenin monument in Schwerin to protest against its continued existence. The occasion was a call to reject public honors by representatives of the tyranny. Burkhard Bley, the state representative for the processing of the SED dictatorship, commented in his speech on the connection between Lenin and the so-called "red terror", which cost numerous German civilians.
In the time of the SED dictatorship alone, around 35,000 people were affected by political persecution; Many were sent in forced labor camps or even sentenced to death. Bley announced a conference on the subject of these persecution for the end of September in Schwerin. Stefan Krikowski, chairman of the Workuta camp community, increased the pressure on the city administration by demanding the removal of the monument and instead the establishment of a monument for the political executed Arno Esch.
a monument full of controversy
The Lenin monument, which was inaugurated on Hamburger Allee in 1985, has long since developed into a permanent friction area. Created by the Estonian artist Jaak Soans, the statue measures 3.50 meters and was originally intended as a memory of Lenin's decree about the expropriation of large landowners in the Soviet occupation zone. Despite a high -political background, the monument, on which color attacks repeatedly ignited, continues in the cityscape. The location at a lively crossroads, surrounded by a prefabricated building, makes it a constant topic in public discourse.
However, the city administration insists that the monument is part of the historical development of the area and would like to keep it with an explained table. Archiv assistant Rainer Blumenthal also criticized the incorrect inscription that Lenin's name does not correctly state and recommended that the monument to be used as a discussion event. There have been several protests since its line -up, the last important took place in 2015 on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the October Revolution.
a historical context
Historically, the monument is symptomatic of the memory and monument culture in Germany. Political monuments, such as these remains of a lost order, were built all over the country during the GDR period to reaffirm the self-image of SED rule. After the turn of 1989, such monuments were often the goal of public debates and were questioned both emotionally and objectively. There was never a central order for removal, rather municipal political initiatives on the whereabouts of the monuments.A real social change has become noticeable in recent decades: some monuments have been demolished to make room for new perspectives and memories. The discussion about the Lenin monument therefore remains a sign of the ongoing conflicts about the interpretation of the German past and dealing with its history. The Leninist legacy continues to ensure political disputes and stimulates the minds.
In addition to the protest, a hiking exhibition entitled "Walls-grid-barbed wire" was opened in the documentation center for dictatorship victims immediately after the rally. This exhibition provides information about the political persecution in the Soviet occupation zone and the GDR and thus once again shows the complex relationship between memory and displacement in German post -war.The argument about the Lenin monument in Schwerin not only raises questions about the history, but also about the present. How do we deal with the relics of a past rule, the shadows of which still fall through society?
This topic remains exciting and shows how deeply rooted the discussions about memory of the SED dictatorship and its symbols are. The last word in this debate is certainly not yet spoken.
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| Ort | Schwerin, Deutschland |
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