Marion's Miscellaneous Musings

History in Germany is dominated by World War 2. One of the trips I took was with my Berlin Host Family to the house of the Wannsee Konferenz, where Hitler presided over the final solution of the Jewish problem. It is in former East Germany, so the house was emptied and the furniture taken by the Soviets (if it was good enough) or firewood (if it wasn't). It consists of panels describing the events from early in Hitler's rule to statements made 30 years after the war.

The most chilling was a statement made by Hitler to the effect that, since history is written by the winners and he was going to win, the methods didn't matter.

That explains a lot.

And then there is the Cecilienhof in Potsdam, where Germany was divided up after the war.

I also went to the Olympic Stadium built for the 1936 Olympics, and since refurbished. My impression was big and powerful. It wasn't refined power, either, it was a brute force power. There is no grace to the statue of the man and the horse. There is no personality, either.

They have since added stelae with the names of German Olympic medalers. Since reunification, East German winners have been added. These have a bit of grace added to them in carvings of performing athletes.

Of course, what is most famous about the 1936 Olympics is Hitler leaving the stadium so he would not have to award medals to Jesse Owens, a black man. (According to wikipedia, he actually did this to a different black athlete.) So this is a nicer venue to visit.

Talking to my first exchange student, he has said that Germans have been taught to be ashamed of WW2 and not to be patriotic. The 2006 soccer world cup in Germany (held at the 1936 olympics Stadium) changed all that, people were waving German flags all over the place because it was only a game.