Monument to Solidarity Rises in Berlin
As half of Europe celebrates the 20th anniversary of the fall of communism in their countries throughout this year, a city with the most memorable symbol of that fall – the Berlin Wall – has put up a monument to the movement that made that symbol possible.
Located in front of the German parliament and within sight of where the Berlin Wall used to stand, a different type of wall represents another struggle. A fragment of a brick wall from the famous Gdańsk Shipyard, the birthplace of the Solidarity movement, has been put in place this month, and has become the canvas for German praise of the movement that started the domino effect behind the Iron Curtain.
The monument was revealed in a ceremony on 17 June, which was attended by Polish Speaker of the Parliament Bronisław Komorowski, the Bundestag’s Norbert Lammert and Chancellor Angela Merkel.
See also: Poland: A Wise Fool’s Paradise?
20 Years On