Obj. ID: 56970
  Memorials  Entry Gate and Stele path in Buchenwald, Weimar, Germany, 1958

 Name of Monument:

Buchenwald Memorial / Nationale Mahn-und Gedenksätte Buchenwald (The GDR Memorial)

Entrance and Stelae Path

 Who/What is Commemorated?

Inmates of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp

 Description:

Visible from a great distance, the Buchenwald Memorial is the largest monument commemorating a Nazi concentration camp in Europe. The large-scale memorial complex is located on the southern slopes of Ettersberg Mountain. Part of the memorial includes the graves of almost 5,000 concentration camp inmates The memorial was designed based on a didactic and ideological concept to guide the visitor on a path from death to life. The visitor’s journey leads through the camp from the crematorium, and continues down to the graves, and finally uphill again to the bell tower which stands as a symbol of freedom and light. At the top of the monumental staircase and in front of the tower is a large sculptural group representing a revolt of the prisoners. Many aspects of the camp and the memorial have changed over the decades, but the major components of the monumental complex on Etterberg constructed during the Communist period have been maintained. The sculpted stelae, large grave circles, and the monumental symbolic path up the mountain to the sculpture and belltower have been preserved.

The descent to the graves begins at the Entrance Gate, which leads to the Stelae path that is lined by seven large stone slabs (stelae) with carved pictorial depictions of life in the camp, one stele for each year of the camp. The history of the camp is told on the stelae (strongly influenced by the still-new GDR's view of history). In the reliefs, the prisoners' struggle for liberation is emphasized, at the expense of historical accuracy.

The path to the graves leads through a heavy, stone entrance gateway before descending. The block of the gate is built of rough stone construction and spans the entire path. The full block appears heavy and low because of its 1 x 2 proportions, with the height roughly half the total width. The stones are cut as roughly rectangular blocks of various sizes. These are laid in uneven rows. Set into the block is the opening, of the same proportions as the entire the block wall, is the entranceway. This space is defined by eight Doric piers; four visible from each side of the gate. The center intercolumniation is approximately twice the width of each side intercolumniation. The piers support a plain lintel constructed as a flat arch with keystones set above the side intercolumniations. Above the lentil, three connected low arches support the top part of the gate-block masonry. The gate is topped by a simple cornice supported by a row of closely set stone brackets.

One descends broad steps from the gate. These are punctuated by the placement on the lefthand side of large stone stele with relief carving placed on landings. On the back of each stele is a caption text (now difficult to discern) written by Johannes R. Becher, the GDR's Minister of Culture at the time.

Inscriptions

On the back of the selae are these inscriptions:

Stele 1:

Aufbau des Lagers

Translation: Construction of the camp

Stele 2:

Ankunft der Häftlinge

Translation: Arrival of the prisoners

Stele 3:

Fronarbeit im Steinbruch

Translation: Labour in the quarry

Stele 4:

Leiden und Vernichtung der Häftlinge

Translation: Suffering and extermination of the prisoners

Stele 5:

Solidarität trotz Leid und Vernichtung

Translation: Solidarity despite suffering and extermination

Stele 6:

Thälmann-Feier und Vorbereitung zum Widerstand

Translation: Thälmann celebration and preparation for resistance

Stele 7:

Die Befreiung

Translation: The liberation

Commissioned by

German Democratic Republic (GDR) government