Nationalism in Germany at its Finest

Nationalism can simply be defined as an extreme form of patriotic feeling. In class, we have greatly emphasized this topic, with special importance on European nationalism. It is evident that the politics of Europe are around us each and every day. However, politics are more than about differences, but about meanings and belief systems such as ideas, social practices, and spatial expressions. This can be cumulatively referred to as culture. The culture that is unique to various individuals and territories can have material consequences. One culture that is of particular importance in Europe is that in Germany. This weekend, we traveled to Munich for two days and saw some inspiring sites.

At 7:30am the six of us rolled out of our overnight train out into the buzzing Munich train station. We grabbed a quick breakfast and checked into our hostel right across the street. This hostel has definitely been the nicest one that we have stayed in, by far. We were expecting it to be deserted with people at 8:00am, but it was just the opposite. There were probably 30 backpackers in the lobby waiting to check in. With all of the cultural diversities we have experienced in Europe so far, I have to admit that this atmosphere was comforting. Being able to check into our clean room, while speaking to the hostel workers in English, made it a great start to the day.

We decided the best way to begin exploring Munich would be to take a free walking tour of the city. We arrived at the designated meeting area and divided into smaller groups. This made the tour more interesting, as well as less impersonal. Our tour guide was a young, lively, interactive, Texan native named Kevin. At each site we stopped at during the whole four hours was filled with factual information that was presented in an entertaining way so that he was not simply lecturing us. I really do believe that the personality and enthusiasm that these guides bring to tourists like us really have a significant impact on our impressions of the city.

As we walked from monuments, to churches, to plazas, to other significant landmarks, it was clear that Kevin was passionate about his country. Not only was Kevin enthused to share his knowledge with us, but was also eager for us to have even just a glimpse into his German culture. His sense of patriotism, or nationalism, was that of the utmost loyalty and appreciation for this country. When he paused to talk about Kristallnacht, Kevin seemed to get choked up. This event, in November of 1938, is known as “the spark that ignited the Holocaust”, or “Night of Broken Glass”. November 9^th and 10^th of 1938, the Nazis staged the destruction of hundreds of Jewish owned or associated buildings. This night began the Nazi tyranny against the Jews: the Holocaust. Millions of innocent people were forced to live in horrible conditions, work for hours on end, and many were murdered. This website from the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum offers supplementary information regarding this anti-Jewish movement.

http://www.ushmm.org/museum/exhibit/focus/kristallnacht/

When Kevin finished our tour, he said, “If there’s one thing I want all of you to remember, it is that us, as Germans, are not proud of the events that took place in the 1930s. However, we are aware that these events did happen and do not want to cover it up and pretend that it is of no importance. We can use this history to demonstrate that the Nazis were not monsters. They were human beings. We are all human beings. The Holocaust can be used as a symbol of what mankind is capable of. We have monuments across the city of Munich to remind us of this, and to make sure that nothing like this will ever happen again.” These sincere words touched each of us on Kevin’s tour.

The next day, the six of us were inspired to visit the Dachau concentration camp. This camp was set up in 1933 as a “school of violence” and a model for further concentration camps. Ironically, the gate reads “Arbeit Macht Frei” or “Work will Set you Free”. From the moment we walked inside, until we took the train back to Munich, the atmosphere was solemn. I am certain that each of us were merely attempting to encompass the horrifying events that took place under our own feet. Even with the blue skies and warm weather, the environment was anything but pleasant. After visiting Dachau, many aspects clearly coincided with class material. One article we read, in particular, focused on landscapes and how tangible monuments hold historical meanings and important of past events. This memorial site holds a significant meaning to those who are knowledgeable about the Holocaust and are devastated by the outcome. Dachau remains as a reminder to all who set foot on site that this terrorism of the Jewish population was real and had real consequences. One monument, in particular, consisted of corpses that were intertwined to resemble an electric fence. This architecture combines both the fence that enclosed the territory of the concentration camp, as well as the deadly nature of the Jewish extermination. This tour of Dachau paralleled to Kevin’s statement about not dismissing that the Holocaust existed, but acknowledging the capability of human beings as mass murderers. More information on this concentration camp can be found at the website of the Jewish Virtual Library.

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Holocaust/dachau.html