Some of Berlin’s Second World War memorials are grandiose affairs located in the heart of the city, which are passed by thousands of Berliners and tourists alike on a daily basis. Other memorials, however, such as this one, are nestled in quieter corners of Berlin, out of sight and often overlooked by most passers-by.
One such example is the “Gedenkort Güterbahnhof Moabit”, is located on the site of a former Goods Station (e.g., “Güterbahnhof”), which during the Second World War functioned as Berlin’s biggest deportation station.
Between March 1942 and January 1944, more than 50 thousand people were deported from Berlin, with 30 thousand leaving from Moabit Güterbahnhof alone. The Jewish people earmarked for deportation from this station were first interned in a detention camp at a Synagogue on 7-8 Levetzowstrasse, before being marched for 2 kilometres through the city to Quitzowstrasse. From there, they were led down a path to platforms 69, 81, and 82, where trains were waiting for them.
The deportees were sent either to ghettos, or, often, they were sent straight to extermination camps in the East.
Most never returned.
In 2017, a memorial was opened on the site, incorporating a 15-metre section of track from platform 69, the piling of the military ramp, and the path to Quitzowstrasse.
When the memorial was opened, 20 pine trees were also planted in a deliberate attempt to highlight the fact that this quiet, non-assuming corner of the city holds such tragic historical importance. Given the fact that the memorial is situated slap-bang between a DIY superstore and the car park of a Lidl supermarket, the trees thankfully lend the space a sense of dignity.
Luckily, the site is also dotted with information plaques, and also QR codes which you scan to hear an audio guide telling the story of the awful things which happened here.
(This is a repost from Instagram from September 15th, 2024)
