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Comparing American and German Remembrance Based on Memorials for the Fallen (2021)

The following essay will introduce you to four separate monuments. Two of them, the Studentenstein (Student-Stone) and the Kriegerdenkmal (Warrior-Memorial) are located in Würzburg, Germany. The other two, the National World War I Memorial and the Liberty Memorial are located in Washington D.C. and Kansas City, respectively. The intended purpose of this essay is a comparison between these American and German monuments dedicated to the First World War. The questions we asked were the following: Who are and were these monuments dedicated to? Who wanted the memorials to be built in the first place? When were the memorials built originally? How are the memorials designed and why are they designed that way? Have they undergone any changes both in design or dedication? And what is the public’s opinion regarding these monuments?

Memorials for the Fallen

The city of Würzburg in remembrance of their sons.

 

 

Warrior-Memorial

Built between 1925-1931.

This monument first commemorates Weimar Republic and the fallen of World War I.

At the time of the Federal Republic of Germany is now commemorated the fallen soldiers of both world wars as well as the expelled Sudeten Germans.

Now it’s also a peace monument.

The city of Würzburg in remembrance of their sons.

Student Stone - "Studentenstein"

Erected and handed over to the public in 1927.
The student stone commemorates several events
In Weimar  Republic  it was the fallen students of the World War I.
In the Third Reich it was named "Langemarkstein" (cf. Langemarkschlacht) and a swastika was added to it.
In the Federal Republic of Germany it was rebuilt again and now commemorates the fallen students of both world wars.