Germany: Roots & Remembrance

While we had hoped to visit the famous Alte Pinakothek museum today, it is closed on Mondays. Instead, we visited Haus der Kunst (House of Art) and we were not disappointed. An exhibition by Fujiko Nakaya was called “Fog”. Every 15 minutes, the room slowly fills with fog around a pool of water. Other pieces of art included the use of fog in various settings.

We learned later that the building was constructed from 1933 to 1937 as an example of Nazi architecture to show Nazi “art”: propaganda. There is talk about whether renovations should change the outside of the building due to its history.

Another exhibition focused on technology and what is real versus fake.

On the way to and from the museum we saw some fascinating architecture, lovely green parks and various memorials, monuments and important buildings. We walked 10 miles today as we wound our way around the city.

There were memorials for those murdered between 1933 and 1945 due to national socialist persecution.

There was a memorial to the White Rose, but the sun was directly in front of the memorial and thus did not photograph well enough to show you. The White Rose was a non-violent, intellectual resistance group in Nazi Germany led by five students at the University of Munich. The group conducted an anonymous leaflet and graffiti campaign that called for active opposition to the Nazi regime. Their activities started in Munich on 27 June 1942, and ended with the arrest of the core group by the Gestapo on 18 February 1943. All were murdered.

We also saw Munich’s old Rathaus and the street where Hitler and his gang marched to carry out what was called the Beer Hall Putsch. Hitler was jailed and as many know, it was in jail where he wrote Mein Kampf.

We found ourselves in front of the Jewish Museum, Munich synagogue and kosher restaurant (all closed on Mondays). It was here that we learned the Nazi origin of the art museum building.

We said our goodbyes to our dear friends after a lovely Turkish dinner, another first of a cuisine for me.

Dass is alles for today! Tomorrow it’s on to Nuremberg.

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