Obj. ID: 50465
Memorials  Wallenberg Memorial in Buenos Aires, Argentina, 1998

Memorial Name

Raoul Wallenburg Monument

Who is Commemorated?

Raoul Wallenberg and Argentine Officials in Europe who helped victims of Nazism during World War II

Description 

The monument is a large bronze relief set on a square pavement of roughly square stone (concrete?) tiles, located within a park at the intersection of two major streets.

The bronze sculpture presents a slightly larger than life, standing male figure in high relief. The figure occupies the lower two thirds of the monument. The feet of the fire rest directly on the pavement. The figures stands in front of an upright rectangular (bronze) wall approximately 4 meters in height. He is identified by the name: Wallenberg is inscribed in large deep letters on the upper part of the wall. Wallenberg is depicted as a diplomat, dressed in a suit, shirt, and tie. Over his shoulders hangs a heavy overcoat, with empty hanging sleeves that frame the figure and give the impression of weight, dignity, and determination. na suit and tie, and holding passports in his hands.

The back of the monument depicts a wall of piled bundles of papers. On the ground, three protective passports are lying on top of each other. On the right-hand side of the sculpture hangs a Swedish flag. The surface of the background is textured Tanja Schult (p. 116-117) described the original sculpture as a figure “standing in contraposto, with his left leg straight and his right slightly bent, the right foot turned toward the right. His left arm crosses his chest as the hand tightly grasps the heavy collar of his overcoat, while the right hand is visible under the coat, clutching a bundle of papers. His head tilts toward the left, and gazes into the distance. The eyes, with their clearly articulated and slightly curved brows, knitted together into a frown, appear somewhat tense; the mouth is closed, the chin defined. The figure has a composed but determined look, the upwards gaze suggesting creativity. The thin hair of the head gives the face an expression of openness and accessibility.”

Moving around the monument, the viewer encounters three additional sides. On the narrow sides are long narrative inscriptions in Spanish. These are translations of the texts written by Wallenberg biographer John Bierman at the request of the artist, that appear on the original version in London.

The back of the monument is built up as a bronze wall made of carefully modeled piles of stacked bundles of paper held together by bronze ribbons. These represent 30,000 of the protective passes issued by Wallenberg. Draped over the top of the this pile – and the back of the monument – is what at first looks like a drapery, but on closer inspection is the Swedish flag.

Inscriptions

On white stone plaque in front of monument (Spanish)

RAOUL GUSTAF WALLENBERG 
"HÉROE SIN TUMBA"
4 DE AGOSTO DE 1912

DIPLOMÁTICO SUECO SALVADOR DE DECENAS DE
MILES DE JUDÍOS Y OTROS PERSEGUIDOS POR EL
RÉGIMEN NAZI, DETENIDO Y DESAPARECIDO
POR EL EJÉRCITO SOVIÉTICO EN 1945.
EN EL 91º ANIVERSARIO DE SU NACIMIENTO
FUNDACIÓN INTERNACIONAL RAOUL WALLENBERG 
BUENOS AIRES 4 DE AGOSTO DE 2003

Translation: Raoul Gustaf Wallenberg / “Hero without a grave”/ 4 August 1912 / Swedish Diplomat who saved tens of / thousands of Jews and others who were persecuted by / the Nazi regime. Detained by the Soviet Army in 1945 and went missing. / On the 91st Anniversary of his birth / The International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation/ Buenos Aires 4 August 2003

Front Face

Wallenberg

Left Face (Spanish)

EN 1944 MUNCA SOLO DE SU
DETERMINACION Y CORAJE,
RAOUL WALLENBERG LLEGO
A BUDAPEST COMO MIEMBRO
DE LA LAGACION SUECE E
IMPULSO EL RESCATE DE
230,000 JUDIOS QUE
PERMANECIAN ALER SALVO
A MUCHOS DE ELLOS DE LOS
ESCUADRONES DE LA MUERTE
NAZIS Y RESCATO A OTROS
QUE ERAN ENVIADOSA LAS
CAMARAS DE GAS DE
AUSCHWITZ.
PUSO A DECENAS DE MILES
BAJO LA PROTECCION DE LA
CORONA SUECA A TRAVES DE
LA EXPEDICION DE
PASAPORTES, COBUANDOLOS
EN LUCARES SECUROS DONDE
IZO LA BANDERA SUECA.

Translation: In 1944, armed only with determination and courage, Raoul Wallenberg arrived in Budapest as a member of the neutral Swedish Legation and set about rescuing the 230,000 Jews who remained. Snatching many from Nazi death squads, he demanded the removal of others from trains departing to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. He placed tens of thousands under the protection of the Swedish Crown by issuing them with passports, sheltering them in safe houses from which he flew the Swedish flag.

Right Face (Spanish)

LA VALENTIA DE
WALLENBERG AYUDO A
SALVAR 100,000 HOMBRES,
MUJERES Y NINOS
CONDUCIDOS A LOS CAMPOS
DE EXTERMINIO SOLO POR SU
CONDICION JUDIA, CUANDO
EN ENERO DE 1945, LOS NAZIS
FUERON EXPULSADOS DE
BUDAPEST WALLENBERG FUE
TOMADO PROSIONERO Y
DESAPARECIO DENTRO DEL
SISTEMA CARCELARIO
SOVIETICO EL ULTIMO LUGAR
ED ESTE NOBLE HEROIE ES
DESCONOCIDO.

Translation:  Wallenberg’s bravery helped save the lives of as many as 100,000 men, women and children destined for the death camps only because they were Jews. When, in January 1945, the Nazis were expelled from Budapest, Wallenberg was taken prisoner and disappeared in the prison. The last resting place of this selfless hero is unknown.

CON EL EMPLAZAMIENTO DE
ESTE MONUMENTO
RENDIMOS TAMBIEN
HOMENAJE A AQUELLOS
FUNCIONARIOS ARGENTINOS
QUE DESDE
REPRESENTACIONES
DIPLOMATICAS O
CONSULARES EN PAISES DE
EUROPA AYUDARON A
PERSONAS PERSEGUIDAS POR
EL NAZISMO DURANTE LA
SEGUNDA GUERRA MUNDIAL.

Translation: With the erection of this monument, we also honor the Argentine public servants who, on the basis of diplomatic or consular representation in the European countries, helped people who were persecuted by Nazism during World War II

Commissioned by

Commissioned by the Government of Argentina, and maintained by the city of Buenos Aires.

The project initiated by Baruch Tenembaum, founder of the International Raul Wallenberg Foundation,