Gestapo Museum

Yesterday some friends and I went to the Nazism Documentation Center in Köln. It is in EL-DE house, a building that was used by the Gestapo as a Prison, Interrogation and Execution Center.

The upper floors house the usual collection of Photographs, Documents, and assorted Paraphernalia which was interesting but very similar to other Museums. What was most powerful for me was the basement, where the original prison cells still remain.


During the war approx 90% of Cologne was destroyed - The major building left standing was the Kölner Dom, an amazing (even for an Atheist) Gothic Cathedral which was built from 1248, and is one of the largest churches in the world. It was only spared demolition by allied bommers so that they could use it as a landmark for orientiering.


So... where was I...

EL-DE house was somehow spared desctuction and in the years after the war, the cells were used as storage and archive areas until it was turned into a Museum in 1988.

The stone cells are tiny (around 3meters x 2meters), and sometimes held up to 20 people! The walls of most of the cells are still covered with the writing of the people that were held there and a selection were translated on the walls opposite the cells. It was these messages that I found most heart wrenching.

The people writing them had no idea if they would be getting out alive and if they would ever see their families again. Even if the Gestapo didn't execute them, a large number died from diseases from the overcrowding.

There were all sorts of messages, from bewilderment about why they were there, to despair, to rage, to longing for their loved ones or homeland. Some wrote messages so that the world would know what happened there, some expressed regret that they didn't cherish their freedom when they had it, others wrote deeply personal messages that I felt a little intrusive reading - A bit like opening someone elses diary.

That night, I tried to imagine what I would write on my 10cm by 10cm patch of wall if I was in a dark, crowded cell, listening to tortured screams, bombing raids, and the sounds of executions, eating my piece of bread in the morning and wondering whether I would be alive that night.

I could not decide what I would write,

and I wept for the people that had to.

How was the disco?

I'm glad you asked!

Well - I am almost disappointed to confess that the school disco last weekend was a great night. I would much rather regale you with humorous tales of lameness than talk about the 50c beers, the cool music from various parts of the globe and the nice atmosphere. There were even some yummy German snacks - including my favorite... Peanut butter flavored little thingies that are the texture of cheetos! We stayed there till about 2am from what I can remember and then left for a bar that someone recommended. I can assure you that I won't be following his recommendation again! We wandered around the streets looking for the place until some of us got sick of wandering and just went into the next club that we passed - It was OK but I actually prefered the atmosphere at the CDC Disco.

The Disco was organised by Lucas, a 17 yr old who is doing his Zivildienst. In Germany it is compulsary for all males to do 9 months service service in the Military or alternativly, they can elect to do Civil service instead. Most end up working in retirment homes or helping the poor or typical Community service jobs. A few very lucky ones manage to score themselves jobs helping out in places like Language schools. Lucas, who interestingly did an exchange year in Australia a couple of years ago, is in charge of putting together the excursions, sporting events and other extra-curricular activities for us to enjoy when we probably should be studying verb conjugations. It is quite strange in Germany which, from what I have observed, seems obsessed with equality and eliminating discrimination (i guess people can learn from mistakes) that it is only the Men that have to do the service. I have been told that they will be getting rid of the compulsary service and that this will create huge problems for the health/community services industry who have relied for so long on VERY cheap labour.