''Memoria Urbana Berlin'' (also known as Reconstruction Bohemian Bethlehem Church) is a public sculpture by Spanish artist Juan Garaizabal that stands in the middle of the Bethlehemkirchplatz,

Mitte Mitte () is the first and most central borough of Berlin. The borough consists of six sub-entities: Mitte proper, Gesundbrunnen, Hansaviertel, Moabit, Tiergarten and Wedding. It is one of the two boroughs (the other being Friedrichshain-Kreuzb ...

district, Berlin, Germany. It was constructed in June 2012 on the mosaic marking the exact site and size of the original Bohemian or Bethlehem Church (), which was destroyed in the war. The sculpture is made up of 800 meters (2,600 feet) of square section (12x12 cm/4.7 in) steel tube and 300 meters (984 feet) of LED illumination system. Its

structure A structure is an arrangement and organization of interrelated elements in a material object or system, or the object or system so organized. Material structures include man-made objects such as buildings and machines and natural objects such as ...

draws in the air the lines of the silhouette of the lost construction, recreating its volume in the form of a sketch. It measures 25 x 15 x 31 metres (82 x 49 x 101 feet) in height and weighs 44

short ton The short ton (symbol tn) is a measurement unit equal to . It is commonly used in the United States, where it is known simply as a ton, although the term is ambiguous, the single word being variously used for short, long, and metric ton. The vari ...

s (40

metric tons The tonne ( or ; symbol: t) is a unit of mass equal to 1000 kilograms. It is a non-SI unit accepted for use with SI. It is also referred to as a metric ton to distinguish it from the non-metric units of the short ton ( United States ...

Construction and maintenance

Originally planned as a temporary installation, as of December 2013 the district and

municipal authorities Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...

have decreed permanent status for the work. Administrative proceedings for the permanent allocation on public grounds are currently ongoing. The Lux-Bethlehem e.V. cultural trust, representing twenty of the public and private institutions that promoted the permanent installation, has been formally created to guarantee the maintenance of the sculpture.

Symbolism

It is a monument dedicated to

freedom of conscience Freedom of thought (also called freedom of conscience) is the freedom of an individual to hold or consider a fact, viewpoint, or thought, independent of others' viewpoints. Overview Every person attempts to have a cognitive proficiency by ...

and to immigration with the spirit of Europeanism. The original Bohemian Church otherwise Bethlehem Church was built between 1733 and 1735 in the middle of the

Friedrichstadt Friedrichstadt (; da, Frederiksstad) is a town in the district of Nordfriesland, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the river Eider approx. 12 km south of Husum. History The town was founded in 1621 by Dutch settlers. Du ...

(now the Mitte district) of Berlin, representing one of the most positive chapters of relations between Germany and

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; cs, Čechy ; ; hsb, Čěska; szl, Czechy) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. Bohemia can also refer to a wider area consisting of the historical Lands of the Bohemian Crown ruled by the Bohem ...

. Thanks to King

Frederick William I of Prussia Frederick William I (german: Friedrich Wilhelm I.; 14 August 1688 – 31 May 1740), known as the "Soldier King" (german: Soldatenkönig), was King in Prussia and Elector of Brandenburg from 1713 until his death in 1740, as well as Prince of Neuch ...

, Czech

refugee A refugee, conventionally speaking, is a displaced person who has crossed national borders and who cannot or is unwilling to return home due to well-founded fear of persecution.

s leaving their homeland for religious reasons were admitted to the Friedrichstadt district of Berlin. It was a monument to the

tolerance Tolerance or toleration is the state of tolerating, or putting up with, conditionally. Economics, business, and politics * Toleration Party, a historic political party active in Connecticut * Tolerant Systems, the former name of Veritas Software ...

pervading the foundation of the Prussian State. In 1943, it was badly damaged by bombing. Later, in 1963, the church was demolished and the site incorporated into the facilities of Checkpoint Charlie.

References

External links

Morgenpost.de

ZDF.de

El Universal

LA Times
{{coord, 52, 30, 33, N, 13, 23, 19.6, E, type:landmark_region:DE-BE, display=title 2012 sculptures Buildings and structures completed in 2012 Buildings and structures in Mitte Contemporary works of art Light art Monuments and memorials in Berlin Outdoor sculptures in Berlin