What can you write about a place that, even with all the changes and redevelopment going on around it, has kept the one thing that is worst about it? What can be said about one of the most infamous symbols of the early-mid 1900s—and unfortunately, still in modern times—that puts it into perspective?
Finding the words to condemn what it symbolizes, but still share the experience of finding it among ruins and renovations, has been very difficult. For weeks I didn't know where to start. Perhaps starting with the facts would be easiest.
Kaserne Krampnitz is a former military complex located near Potsdam, Germany. It was constructed during the late 1930s by the Nazi regime as part of their growth and expansion plans. The complex served as a military training facility and barracks for the German army (Wehrmacht), particularly for the cavalry units.
Of the estimated 50+ buildings that once existed on this site, only about 15 remain today—officers' quarters, furnaces, a casino, and offices. In recent years, there have been efforts to redevelop Kaserne Krampnitz into a mixed-use urban area, including residential, commercial, and recreational spaces. However, progress has been slow due to the complexities of repurposing a site with such a significant historical legacy. By my count, renovations have started or are nearly completed on 5 of the remaining 15 buildings.
Work on the remaining 10 buildings will likely proceed at the typical slow German pace of building work and renovations, except in maybe one of the buildings. When viewed from above, this building takes the shape of a question mark. This shape is especially fitting due to the question of what to do with its contents. The only remaining feature, except for the brick walls, is the problematic symbol alluded to earlier.
Spanning around 3 x 3 meters on the ceiling in the center of a large room, created with great craftsmanship, but with a terrible remaining symbolism—is the yellow, white, and silver mosaic eagle and four of the five remaining Nazi swastikas. Previously a symbol of patriotism and national socialism, now generally hated and mostly illegal except for a few specific use cases in Germany.
What will this mosaic's fate be? Is it being saved for the centerpiece of a museum on the horrors of history? If yes, how do you present it in a way that doesn't glorify or celebrate its creation's intended message? Will it be moved, either whole or in pieces, somewhere else? If yes, where and why? Is its demolition being delayed due to a mess of paperwork and historical preservation laws? If yes, when will it be destroyed and how will we know for certain?
Personally, I hope the latter and soon.
