Construction
The ground-breaking ceremony for the construction of the freedom and unity monument took place under stringent Corona safety conditions on 28th May 2020. The guests included the Cultural Secretary, Monika Grütters, the former Bundestag presidents Norbert Lammert and Wolfgang Thierse and also Johannes Milla and Sebastian Letz for the competition winners.
The start of construction was preceded by comprehensive planning and reinforcement work. The weight of the 50 by 18 metre large monument shell could not have been borne by the historical foundation alone. The structure of the arch had to be secured and new pillars installed which could support the monument complete with its visitors. With them, the idea of the monument became reality: if the shell starts to move, then it is as a result of readiness to engage in dialogue, reasoning power and willingness to change– tools of democracy which are practiced every day.
The symbolic ground-breaking ceremony for the freedom and unity monument, carried out by Norbert Lammert, former Bundestag president, Monika Grütters, the former federal government’s commissioner for culture and the media, Wolfgang Thierse, former Bundestag president and Sebastian Lenz, architect (from left)
© Dr. Andreas H. Apelt (Deutsche Gesellschaft e. V.)
