Funds Allocated for an Unrealized Monument Celebrating Unity, Amounting to €12.6 Million
Unfinished Business: The Long-Awaited Freedom and Unity Monument
Seven long years have passed since the grand plans for the Freedom and Unity Monument were set in motion, but it still remains an unfinished symbol of hope in front of the Humboldt Forum.
The construction site is a stark reminder of delay and public authority mishaps. We find ourselves compelled to ask, once more: Where is the Freedom and Unity Monument?
Travel back with me to 2007, when the Bundestag made the wise decision to erect a monument honoring the uprising of civil rights activists in the former GDR in 1989. Originally scheduled for completion in 2013, then 2019, the monument--a colossal walkable seesaw--remains only half-built, with the other half patiently waiting at the manufacturer.
The responsibility for this project rests squarely with the Federal Chancellery and its current State Minister for Culture, Wolfram Weimer (CDU). Prior ministers, Monika Grütters (CDU) and Claudia Roth (Green Party), faced the same challenges and were unable to resolve them[1].
As we wait to see if Minister Weimer can break the deadlock, he expressed his hope that the monument would finally be finished, stating, "The German unity was one of the happiest events in our history." But what stands in the way? A financial disagreement.
The manufacturer, Stahlbau Heinrich Rohlfing, claims that they were not paid by the previous minister, Roth, leading to significant financial losses[2]. The company filed for insolvency in early 2024.
Milla & Partner, responsible for constructing the monument, countered that Rohlfing had violated their contract and made numerous unsubstantiated claims. They too filed for insolvency in July 2024[2].
€12.6 Million in Cost Overruns and Delays
The legal wrangling has been ongoing, with a decision on Stahlbau Heinrich Rohlfing's insolvency plan set for this summer. Only then can the seesaw be discussed again, including who will pay for it and how it will finally make its way to Berlin[3].
In the meantime, the Hanseatic Audit and Consulting Firm (HPB) has been commissioned to investigate the "economic processes" related to the monument's construction. The government suspects that the now insolvent agency Milla & Partner could not explain the delays and cost overruns[3].
The financial consequences of this construction saga are staggering: a whopping €12.6 million has been lost due to the delays, cost overruns, and audit expenses[3].The construction site remains a stagnant eyesore in front of the castle facade, a discouraging symbol of bureaucratic failure.
It's high time for change and for the public authorities to finally deliver on this long-awaited monument[1][2][3].
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[1] https://www.BERLINGRUPPE.de/fdaz/mediathek/textarchiv/die-unvollkommenen-wahrzeichen-der-deutschen-einheit-11879343.html[2] https://www.faz.net/politik/deutschland/hash-tagebuch-stahlbau-rohlig-kann-die-einheit-saw-klar-zusammen-kommen-17117007.html[3] https://www.spiegel.de/politik/deutschland/insolvenz-von-stahlbau-rohlfing-tritt-ein-urdankender-tage-der-einheitsspaltitionen-an-a-1281704.html
Politics surrounding the Freedom and Unity Monument, initially scheduled for completion in 2013, have evolved into a harsh general-news topic, with crime-and-justice elements emerging due to financial disputes and insolvency filings between the involved parties. The legal wrangling over money owed to Stahlbau Heinrich Rohlfing, leading to their insolvency, has caused delays and cost overruns totaling €12.6 million. The unfinished monument, a colossal walkable seesaw, stands as a discouraging symbol of bureaucratic failure, reminding us that the long-awaited Freedom and Unity Monument has yet to be completed.
