The New Guard House

The Neue Wache, the new guard house, was dedicated in 1993 as the "Central Memorial of the Federal Republic of Germany for the Victims of War and Tyranny." The gothic styled building use to be a guard house, but now instead of guarding a Prussian prince it guards the memory of the dead.

From Berlin

Within the otherwise empty room is Käthe Kollwitz's sculpture Mother with her Dead Son.

From Berlin

The sculpture is directly under an opening in the ceiling. So the sculpture is both protected and exposed to the world, like children with their parents.

From Berlin

So we were reminded that we can never be completely protected from human cruelty, or natural pestilences. But we can remember the victims and work towards minimizing the damage.

Throughout the great city of Berlin are memorials, and with them a sincere desire for a more peaceful world. The memorials insist that we to look at the real consequences of war and violence. There are also celebrations of the non-violent protests that finally led to the reunification of Germany, and the new confidence and abundance that flows through the city. One wonders what the world would look like today if America had listened to our German friends, and not our British friends during the discussions leading to the Iraq war.