Dresden Museum: Soldiers Confront a Complex Military History

[unhappycamper]

http://www.spiegel.de/international/germany/dresden-military-history-museum-an-important-site-for-german-soldiers-a-939573.html



The Military History Museum in Dresden has become an important resource for German soldiers, particularly as they wrestle with their evolving role in German society and in the world.

Dresden Museum: Soldiers Confront a Complex Military History
By Christopher Alessi
December 17, 2013 – 01:39 PM

One of the central exhibitions in the post-1945 section of the Military History Museum in Dresden includes an actual German vehicle that was heavily damaged by an improvised explosive device in Afghanistan. It is juxtaposed with the parliamentary voting cards of German leaders -- including former and current chancellors Gerhard Schröder and Angela Merkel -- that authorized German participation in the United States-led intervention in Afghanistan over a decade ago.

For Col. Matthias Rogg, who has served as the museum's director since 2010, the exhibition is one of the most poignant in the entire building. The display, he said, challenged him to think about who was responsible for the violence in Afghanistan. Ultimately it altered his perspective on warfare and made him realize that from political and military leaders down to the average voting citizen, "We are all responsible for what happens" when German soldiers go to war.

Afghanistan, where 52 German soldiers have died, has arguably been the most formative fighting experience for the contemporary German military. "Soldiers now see, at last, what it means to be a soldier," said Rogg, "what it means to fight, to kill, and, perhaps to not only get wounded, but to die."

In recent years, the Dresden museum has become increasingly relevant for many German officers, who are now required to visit as part of their training. Situated in a former army barracks from the late 19th century, the museum was reopened in 2011 after a dramatic redesign by US architect Daniel Libeskind. A giant, steel wedge now jets through the middle of the building's neo-renaissance facade, symbolizing Germany's ugly and complex military history.