Yesterday, the intrepid duo of the Berlin WHW IC visited the German Resistance Museum in the Bendlerblock building on Stauffenbergstrassse.
The street name is a pretty big clue as to the significance of this building, but for those who don’t know, it was from here that Stauffenberg and his fellow conspirators attempted to overthrow the Nazi regime in the ill-fated July 20th bomb plot.
In the courtyard, there is a poignant memorial to those who were executed there following the collapse of the plot, whilst inside there is an enthralling museum over several floors which tells the story not only of the Stauffenberg plot, but of the many different forms of resistance to Hitler which came from all sections of German society.
What I particularly liked about the museum is the way in which it highlights the diverse array of groups and individuals who were opposed to the regime, with every group getting their story told: Jewish resistance groups, Roma & Sinti groups, Jazz-loving teenagers, Christians, political groups, artists…all resistance groups are covered in detail.
One more thing the museum does really well is highlight the fact that acts of resistance could be grand in scale, or they could be low-level, localised actions. In any case, regardless of the size and scope of the act of resistance, the wrath of the regime was equally vicious and deadly even for the smallest acts of defiance.
For instance, I was particularly moved by the story of the young Walter Klingenbeck, an apprentice mechanic from Munich, who listened to foreign radio stations and who also painted the Allied “V for Victory” sign onto signposts and walls. These acts alone led to his murder by the authorities, which just shows how ludicrously cruel and vindictive the regime was.
Lastly, the museum also has a temporary exhibition highlighting women who resisted the regime, and it was in this section where I found a particularly delicious quote from Marlene Dietrich (directed at German soldiers) which perfectly encapsulated the idiocy of fighting for Hitler.
All in all, the museum is a MUST SEE on any trip to Berlin.
(This is a repost from Instagram from October 14th, 2024)
