On September 1, 1939, at the Kroll Opera next to the Reichstag Adolf Hitler gave a propaganda speech on the German invasion of Poland. 86 years later, thanks to the social initiative, a 30-ton boulder was set up, which was named a memorial stone for Poland 1939-1945. This is simply a temporary commemoration of millions of Poles murdered during planet War II by German occupiers.
The discussion of commemoration in Berlin of Polish victims murdered by Germans in 1939–1945 has been taking place in our western neighbours for nearly a decade. It was first mentioned about the monument, then about the educational centre of Polish-German, and ended with a boulder which was unveiled close Reichstag in June 2025. “80 years besides late, but better late than never. This is most likely the motto of Polish-German reconciliation," commented Die Tagesszeitung.
Why don't the Germans know?
Germany knows small about the crimes their ancestors committed on Polish civilians during planet War II. They have much more cognition about the crimes of his countrymen committed in France, the Netherlands or Greece.
Konrad Schuller, a longtime correspondent in Poland, said that he was studying about the village of Oradour in France, where Germany murdered 642 people. It became a symbol of the cruelty of the German business during planet War II. He besides heard of the massacre in Lidicach, Czechoslovakia, during which 340 out of 503 residents were killed, and of Distomo in Greece, where Germany murdered 218 inhabitants of this village, or Sant’Anna di Stazzema, where there were about 560 Italians (the villagers and refugees). Women and children were besides victims in each of these towns. Konrad Schuller was amazed that In Poland there were over 700 specified villages, and thousands of Poles were killed..
He felt that the German school was liable for his ignorance, due to the fact that as a student he learned almost nothing about the situation in Poland during planet War II. As he explained, The war with Poland was mentioned in the school program as 1 of many “Blitzkriegs” conducted by the German army. Since this is the curriculum, it is no wonder that present only 1 tenth of the young German people believe that their ancestors are liable for creating planet War II.
Therefore, it is so crucial that not only a monument is created in Berlin, but besides a Polish-German centre, which will service as an educational function. The foundation stone for specified a facility is to become a symbolic boulder for Polish victims of national socialism.
On 16 June 2025, a monument dedicated to Polish Nazism victims and victims of German business and panic in Poland was unveiled in Berlin from 1939 to 1945. This is the first specified facility in Berlin.
From Stone to House
The road to specified a commemoration began on 15 November 2017, erstwhile a group of German politicians (including Rita Suesmuth and Wolfgang Thierse, erstwhile president of the Bundestag), social activists and scientists sent a appeal to the Bundestag and to the public to erect a monument commemorating the Polish victims of the German business from 1939 to 1945. In October 2020, Bundestag accepted the construction of a monument in Berlin Polish victims of the Second War the planet and commissioned the government to make its concept.
The debate on the monument lasted respective years. There were voices in it. any said that Germany should build more monuments to celebrate not only Poles, but besides Russians, Ukrainians or Belarusians. Others stressed that the monuments of Jews or Roma besides concern any of the Polish victims, and suggested that a centre should be established dedicated to all Slavic victims of Germans. any say that due to the scale of German crimes in Poland, a museum/center of Polish-German past should be established in Berlin.
Finally, in June 2024, the German government approved a task providing that in Berlin there would be a monument to the Polish victims of planet War II and the Polish-German House, an educational institution that would bring together a common history, organize bilateral meetings, exhibitions, workshops. There are inactive differences about the memorial site. The German authorities see this facility at the site of the erstwhile Kroll Opera in the government territory of Berlin. It is close the Bundestag and the Kanclar Office – in the area of Tiergarten Park, which is visited all day by thousands of Germans and tourists. The question is whether the Berliners will agree to surrender part of the area.
On the another hand, 2017 authors of the appeal opt for the location at Anhalter Bahnhof. This area is next to the erstwhile railway station at Askan Square. This place has approved spatial planning plans, which would importantly shorten the construction. However, it is not in the center, which means that it will be visited by much little people.
It is worth noting that all German monuments dedicated to groups peculiarly persecuted during planet War II are located in the centre of Berlin, close Reichstag and Tiergarten Park. There are: Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe, monument to the European Sinti and Roma murdered during the Holocaust, monument to the sick and disabled murdered in the T4 action, and memorial to the memory of homosexuals persecuted by Nazism. All these monuments were created only in the 21st century. Why so late? due to the fact that only then did the last people associated with the Nazi government and crimes leave the political scene due to age – says Andreas Nahama, historian, 1 of the signatories of the 2017 appeal.
Controversy and Doubt
Discussions around the monument and the Polish-German House The analysts of the Centre for east Studies (Kamil Frymark and Anna Kwiatkowska) besides looked at them. They expressed concerns that its construction could replace another initiatives concerning past in relations with Poland, including compensation for war losses. Their concern was that it was not a bilateral project, but entirely German – both in terms of substance, finance or selection of experts, as well as the way of commemoration. They assessed that in the current form it is hard to recognise this task as a manifestation of dialog with Poland. If this facility only presents a German point of view, it can lead to relativisation of German guilt for crimes committed in Poland. The best solution would be to rapidly build a monument in the centre of Berlin commemorating victims of German business in Poland, and in the long word (after consulting the Polish-German House).
A Far Perspective
Today in Berlin, the German crimes in occupied Poland are reminded of a boulder and the inscription on the plaque in Polish and German: "Polish victims of Nazism and victims of German business and panic in Poland 1939–1945". The German government agreed to commemorate Polish victims until the mark monument and the Polish-German home were created. However, this is not a close prospect. It is adequate to mention that the debate on the Memorial of the Murdered Jews of Europe lasted over 20 years. present it is hard to find how many years it will be before we get to the commemoration of Polish victims.
