Competition for the Design
of a Freedom and Unity
Memorial in Berlin 2010
Submission date: 26 March
On 9 November 2007, the German parliament, the Bundestag, decided that the Federal Republic of Germany will erect a Memorial to Freedom and Unity in remembrance of the peaceful revolution in the autumn of 1989 and the reinstatement of Germany’s national unity.The Memorial to Freedom and Unity is to be erected as a national symbol in the centre of the German capital. Its meaning and effect are to be reflected in its form and design.
The chosen location for the future Monument to Freedom and Unity is the plinth of the former national monument to Kaiser Wilhelm I. on the so-called “Schlossfreiheit” in Berlin-Mitte.
The German Bundestag occupied itself with this topic in several resolutions. In the meeting of the Committee for Culture and Media held in July 2009, the objective of the monument was once again defined in precise terms:
• The memory of the peaceful revolution in the autumn of 1989 and the reinstatement of German unity is to be the artistic focus of the Freedom and Unity monument
• The contribution of the citizens of Leipzig, who played an outstanding role in the peaceful revolution, is to be acknowledged – independently of this competition – with their own monument in Leipzig.
• The nearby Deutsches Historisches Museum will enable additional, broad information to be provided. The peaceful revolution and reunification in 1990 will be presented there in the context of the whole history of the freedom and unity movement in Germany. An information site is not planned as part of this competition.
A procedure will be initiated consisting of a restricted interdisciplinary competition with preceding open application procedure. This means, the sponsor publicly invites interested professionals (artists, architects, landscape architects) to apply. Suitability criteria will be defined by the sponsor to acquire particularly qualified applicants. A selection committee of experts will choose approximately 30 participants from the applications received. The competition will be implemented with the chosen participants. These participants will submit their designs, which will then be assessed by a jury.
For further information and application forms see
www.wettbewerb-denkmal.de
