Memorial to gay and lesbian victims of National Socialism


The memorial to gay and lesbian victims of National Socialism is a monument in Cologne, Germany, dedicated to the gay and lesbian victims of the Nazis.
The memorial, dedicated on 24 June 1995, is located next to the Hohenzollern Bridge, on the bank of the Rhine. The site was chosen for its historical significance: Traditionally, the bridge was a popular meeting place for gay men who wanted to have anonymous sexual contacts.

History

The study group "Dykes and Queers", led by Jörg Lenk, proposed the memorial in March 1990. The official applicant was the Federation of German Trade Unions' Cologne chapter, backed publicly by various individuals and organizations. and the Hohenzollern Bridge from the memorial.|left
The Cologne Office for Cultural Affairs proposed 25 possible artists in 1993. Eleven design proposals were submitted, and an independent jury decided unanimously in 1994 in favour of Achim Zinkann, a sculptor from Rostock who had taught art and history at the University of Siegen. The project was funded by 30,900 marks in donations. The opening ceremony took place on 24 June 1995, coinciding both with Cologne's gay pride celebration and with the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Germany from Nazi rule.
Similar monuments exist in Frankfurt and in Berlin. Plaques and panels have also been installed at the sites of the Mauthausen, Neuengamme, Dachau, and Sachsenhausen concentration camps.

Design

The memorial consists of pink and grey granite. It is 120 cm high and 69 cm wide. Its shape is similar to the pink triangle used by the Nazis to identify gay men in concentration camps.
The text on the memorial reads "Killed — Silenced: The gay and lesbian victims of National Socialism".

Literature