Recibido: 23-05-2018
Acep ado: 16-10-2018
Eloise Flo ence
(RMIT Uni e si y) [[email p o ec ed]]
h p://dx.doi.o g/10.12795/IC.2018.i01.04
E-ISSN: 2173-1071 IC – Re is a Cien í ica de In o mación y Comunicación
2018, 15, pp. 117 - 139
Exca aciones a queológicas y el en o no u bano de Be lín: eco da y
ol ida la huellas de la Segunda Gue a Mundial
A chaeological digs and be lin’s u ban en i onmen :
Remembe ing and o ge ing he aces o he Second
Wo ld Wa
Abs ac :
This essay examines how he Second Wo ld Wa can be emembe ed h ough a cheology
a wo ou ism si es in Be lin. Th ough da a collec ed om si e isi s and obse a ions,
he mo i s o bu ial, au hen ici y, and his o ical alue a e ound o engage di ec ly wi h
ongoing nego ia ions o emembe ing he Second Wo ld Wa . This con ibu es a e ised
way o examining cul u al emembe ing h ough ma e ial aces o he wa on Be lin’s u ban
en i onmen .
Resumen
Es e ensayo examina cómo la memo ia de la Segunda Gue a Mundial es á mediada po
la a queología en dos si ios u ís icos en Be lín. A a és de los da os compilado de si ios
isi ados y obse aciones del si io, los mo i os de en ie o, au en icidad y alo his ó ico se
elacionan di ec amen e con la negociación en cu so de eco da y ol ida la Segunda Gue a
Mundial, ya que es á in eg ada en el en o no u bano de Be lín.
Keywo ds
Cul u al memo y, a chaeology, emnan s, Be lin, Second Wo ld Wa , ou ism
Palab as cla e
Memo ia cul u al, a queología, emanen es, Be lín, Segunda Gue a Mundial, u ismo
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Summa y
1. In oduc ion
2. Cul u al memo y
3. Fieldwo k
4. The au ho i y o he au hen ic
5. Bu ial and unco e ing
6. A chaeology and his o ical alue
7. Discussion
8. Bibliog aphy
Suma io
1. In oducción
2. Memo ia cul u al
3. T abajo de campo
4. La au o idad de lo au én ico
5. En ie o y deja al descubie o
6. A queología y alo his ó ico
7. Discusión
8. Bibliog a ía
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1. In oduc ion
The Topog aphy o Te o is a ci y block in Be lin ha houses se e al
di e en memo ial, museum, and a chaeological elemen s. I is loca ed in
Be lin’s cen al ou ism dis ic . The si e’s websi e s a es ha i is one o he
mos equen ly isi ed si es in Be lin, wi h o e one million people isi ing in
2015.1
The a ea was once home o he cen al Nazi ins i u ions o pe secu ion
and e o : he Sec e S a e Police (Ges apo) O ice, he leade ship o he SS
and SA, and he Reich Secu i y Main O ice. A pe manen on-si e exhibi ion and
“documen a ion cen e” co e s he c ea ion, me hods, ic ims, pe pe a o s,
and o ganisa ional s uc u es o hese ins i u ions. I also houses a lib a y on
Na ional Socialism, Jewish pe secu ion, he Second Wo ld Wa , econcilia ion,
he pe secu ion o wa c iminals, and memo ialisa ion and commemo a ion.
The si e is also home o he second la ges su i ing piece o he
Be lin Wall in he capi al. Visi o s can app oach, pho og aph, and ouch he Wall
agmen , which has been le la gely in he condi ion i was in a euni ica ion.
Below he Wall agmen is an open ai “exhibi ion ench”, ecoun ing Be lin
du ing he 12 yea s o Nazi ule, in bo h Ge man and English. The exhibi ion
ench si s in he o me ounda ions o he s a e secu i y buildings, which we e
o en used o holding p isone s.
The bombing aids o he 1940’s, he p ocesses o demoli ion and
econs uc ion ha cha ac e ised immedia e pos -wa de-Nazi ica ion, and Cold
Wa and euni ica ion u ban de elopmen , ha e le he si e mos ly emp y. O he
han he documen a ion cen e, he Wall agmen and he exhibi ion ench, he
only hing ha in e up s a wide la expanse o g ey shingle is a copse o ees
in he sou h-eas e n co ne . Wande ing a ound he si e, one can ind a ious
ounda ions and a chaeological emnan s o he buildings ha s ood on he
block o e he 20
h cen u y, as well as piles o ubbish and ubble ha ha e been
dumped o e he in e ening yea s.
A sho ide on he S-bahn away is Teu elsbe g, ising 80 me e s abo e
he Tel ow pla eau. Teu elsbe g (‘De il’s moun ain’) is a T umme be g, o ubble
1 h p://www. opog aphie.de/en/
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moun ain, a i icial hills ha a e made up o he esul an ubble om he
des uc ion o Ge man ci ies. Almos e e y majo Ge man ci y has a leas one
T umme be ge – he 60 million cubic me e s o ubble gene a ed by he 15,000
des oyed buildings o wa ime Be lin le he capi al wi h se en.
Du ing he Cold Wa , he Ame ican in elligence agency NSA ook
ad an age o Teu elsbe g as he highes poin in he wes e n sec o o Be lin
and es ablished a lis ening s a ion on i s summi . The s a ion was equipped
wi h audio su eillance equipmen o lis en o e he Wall o he Ame ican’s
So ie coun e pa s. A e he all o he Wall and he So ie Union, he si e was
abandoned, hen used by local a and music communi ies o e en s and a .
The si e is now leased by a p i a e eal es a e agen , and he e a e
cu en discussions wi hin he Be lin sena e o e i s a e. Teu elsbe g is a
once a ci y g een space, accessed by ain, ca , bike, o hike, and a popula
coun e - ou ism si e o isi o s sea ching o he eal, au hen ic o un ouched
his o y o Be lin. The hill blends almos seamlessly in o he G unewald, and is
c issc ossed by hund eds o pa hs, om pa ed oads h ough o animal acks.
One can wande hese acks o hou s, no icing (o en ipping on) he pieces
o ubble, which don’ so much li e he g ound as make up he g ound. This
g ound appea s o shi and ci cula e o e ime o h ow up and e eal di e en
ubble pieces.
This a icle spawns om a ques ion con inually asked in he au ho ’s
ield-no es om a esea ch isi o Teu elsbe g: why is he e an a chaeological
dig a Topog aphy o Te o , bu no a Teu elsbe g?
Asking his ques ion b ough o h a angled conside a ion o he
he o ical and concep ual de ini ions o a chaeology, and how i is p esen in
Be lin a a ious ou ism si es. These wo si es a e echnologies o emembe ing
Be lin’s des uc i e pas : Teu elsbe g is a ool o pos -wa econs uc ion
p ocesses, bo h physical and socio-poli ical, as much as i is an embodimen
o he des uc i e p ocesses o u ban and ae ial wa a e o 75 yea s ago. The
Topog aphy o Te o , i sel a si e o wa - ime des uc ion and econs uc ion,
is also a esul o a chaeology as a communica i e p ac ice o emembe ing,
digging in o p e- and pos -uni ied Ge many’s pas .
This a icle endea ou s o compa e he simila i ies and di e ences o
hese wo popula ou is si es o d aw ou he na a i e and spa ial unc ions
o a chaeology in memo y ex s. I akes an app oach o cul u al memo y
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ha conside s such ex s as cons i u i e o – a he han simply e lec ing–
ongoing communica i e and cul u al p ac ices o emembe ing. In his way i
will in es iga e why a chaeology –as much a ep esen a ional de ice as i is a
scien i ic o poli ical endea ou – is a ailable in one si e o media ing Be lin’s
wa ime pas and no ano he .
2. Cul u al memo y
The s udy o collec i e, cul u al, public, o his o ical memo y has been
one way o app oaching he p ocesses by which he pas is imagined in and
h ough a cul u e. Memo y s udies is, in gene al, conce ned wi h he social ole
o u ili y o he pas , and he way in which a pas is imagined and c ea ed by and
h ough a cul u e. The cul u al unc ion o he e en o he Second Wo ld Wa
in Anglo-Ame ican a , li e a u e, news, poli ics, iden i y, economics, and social
dynamics has been ho oughly explo ed. This is o en done om a posi ion ha
is occupied wi h he low o in luence be ween he p esen and he pas . In
many o hese s udies, he pas is conside ed as a disc e e en i y ha exis s
on i s own and is hen emembe ed, ei he collec i ely o indi idually. A cen al
ques ion o many wo ks (Lowen hal 1985; Jud 1992; Wilson 2002) is he ole
ha his objec o memo y plays in ei he iewing he pas h ough ames o he
p esen , o iden i ying he in luence o he pas in con empo a y a ai s.
Wi hin his con ex , a chaeological digs a ou ism and he i age
si es ca y wi h hem na a i e and mnemonic conno a ions ha a e pa s o
communica i e cons uc ions o cul u al memo y. The s udy o a chaeology,
as i is p esen in memo ials o he ecen pas emains p elimina y (Wolde,
2017; Moshenka, 2006; Czaplcika, 1995; De Sil ey, 2007; Moshenka, 2009).
This o en mingles wi h in es iga ions o he pas as i is mani es in ma e ial
cul u e. This includes iewing he buil en i onmen as wi nesses o his o y and
eposi o ies o cul u e (Ladd, 1997), and he des uc ion o his ma e ial cul u e
as an amoun o des uc ion o he ac ual cul u e and his o y o a people
(F ied ich, 2008; Hewi , 1983). A chaeological a e ac s a e o en discussed
as a physical mani es a ion o a his o y and an unmedia ed encoun e wi h he
pas (Edenso , 2005 p. 834). O he s (A nold de Simine, 2015; Cla k 2015;
S einme z, 2008) ha e in es iga ed he ep esen a ional aspec s o he ma e ial

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emnan h ough uins, speci ically he use o uin as a memo ial. Two o he si es
in mode n Be lin, Anhal e S a ion and he Kaise Wilhelm Memo ial Chu ch,
a e u he examples ha make us o he sub e si e po en ial o emnan s o
dis up hegemonic public memo y p ojec s (de Sil ey & Edenso , 2012).
This s udy conside s ou ism and he i age si es as memo y ex s. Too
o en, s udies o ien a ed a ound place-based media ions o he pas conduc
su eys o he poli ical unc ion o cul u al memo y as i is exp essed h ough
he memo ial si es. These kinds o s udies a e asked wi h iden i ying he
mo i a ing ac o s behind he “o icial” memo y p og ams, poli ical ac o s, o
“ egimes” (Ebenshade, 1995; Langenbache , 2010) o which he memo ial,
he i age si e, o monumen a e he inal p oduc . These s udies o en limi
hemsel es o in es iga ions o poli ical ac o s enac ing a e y homogenised
o m o memo y, which hey iew as solidi ied in he si es.
Whe e hey do engage wi h non-go e nmen al spa ial memo ialisa ion
p ojec s, s udies o memo y places o en s ill main ain an acu e dis inc ion
be ween o icial and e nacula memo y p ojec s (Fo es e al., 2004). Memo y
and his o y a e concei ed o as “ideological ba le g ounds” (To bako , 2011, p.
210), upon which he di e en pa ies, ac o s and igu es o bo h go e nmen s,
media, ci izens, a is s, w i e s, and ilmmake s, all s uggle o main ain con ol.
The e is a g owing mo emen in memo y s udies o he Second Wo ld Wa
in es iga ing coun e cul u al ep esen a ions o memo y – coun e -memo ials,
coun e -monumen s, coun e -memo y ex s (See Gould & Sil e man, 2013;
Mo gan, 2016; S angl 2008). A chaeological emnan s a e o en cha ac e ised
as e ealing hese coun e memo y na a i es, which di ec ly oppose dominan
ones (Langenbache , 2010, p. 35). They a e cha ac e ised as “dis up ing he
o icial o de ” (McRae, 2002, p. 2).
This s ance no only igno es he agency and di e si y o popula ions
engaged in cul u al emembe ing, i also ei ies an unde s anding in which
a chaeological emnan s a e pe cei ed as comple ely neu al in e ms o na a i e
o a gumen . Remnan s o he pas a e o en conside ed wi hin he con ex o
memo y s udies ha “ ocus on ac s o esis ance and he c ea ion o al e na i e
place o memo y in way ha also main ains he o icial and popula memo y
dis inc ion” (Fo es e al., 2004, p.362). Edenso (2005) cha ac e ises uins
as poo ly classi ied, lexible, un-encoded spaces, wi h no in ensi e egula ion.
He a gues uins make a ailable meanings and signi icances ha a en’ eadily
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p esc ibed by he designe s o a place (Edenso , 2005). A chaeological emnan s
and digs a e o en conside ed in he same ligh .
Howe e , a chaeological emnan s s ill ha e hei own ex ual and
ep esen a ional meanings — hey a e by no means “poo ly classi ied”. As I
will ou line below, when iewed as a ep esen a ional de ice, a chaeological
emnan s a o d au hen ici y o he pas hey embody, because hey a e widely
unde s ood as au hen ic. They also imply a ce ain empo al dis ance om
and his o ical signi icance o he e en s o which hey ges u e. And hey a e
unde s ood o be e lec ions o p ocesses o bu ial and exhuma ion ha speak
di ec ly o he poli ical p ojec s o emembe ing in u ban en i onmen s.
This has pa icula implica ions o emembe ing he Second Wo ld
Wa h ough Be lin’s landscape. The ma e ial impac s o he wa on Be lin,
in pa icula a ea bombing campaigns om he Allies, o en s uggles o ind
and main ain a posi ion wi hin he no ma i e cul u al memo y o he Second
Wo ld Wa (Sebald, 2004; Tabe ne & Be ge , 2009; A. Assmann 2006) This
absence has been discussed widely in he discipline o memo y s udies, bu
he absence o he ma e ial aces o des uc ion in Be lin speci ically is only
ecen ly beginning o be ully examined.
As such, he e ho ical unc ion o a chaeology a hese si es ela es
p edomina ely o emembe ing he des uc ion o Be lin du ing he wa . The
ma e ial aces o wa ime damage mus be unde s ood wi hin a wide con ex
o deba e su ounding ep esen a ions o Ge man ic ims o Allied a acks as
hey si alongside he his o ical na a i es o Holocaus ic ims. Hegemonic
na a i es o he wa emain in luen ial in he ways in which i can be emembe ed
in Be lin’s con empo a y ou ism landscape. When isi ing a chaeological si es
in Be lin, isi o s a e engaging wi h hese na a i es, bo h as hey a e p esen a
memo ials, museums, and ou ism si es, and as hey a e p esen in hei ongoing
in e nal imagina ies o he wa . The p esence o a chaeology, and he na a i e
conno a ions i ca ies, mus he e o e be unde s ood wi hin his con ex .
3. Fieldwo k
D awing on si e- isi s documen ing memo ials in Be lin 2017, his
s udy examines he a chaeological aspec s o wo si es. Conside able esea ch
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in o he con ex ualisa ion o a chaeological si es as embedded wi hin wide
communica i e p ac ice emains necessa y, i no possible wi hin he con ines o
his a icle. Bo h he Topog aphy o Te o and Teu elsbe g a e highly complex si es,
wi h di e en commemo a i e and musueal elemen s o e lapping, in e ac ing,
and o en con adic ing each o he , depending on he posi ion and expec a ions
o he isi o . On he one hand, and a leas om an o icial pe spec i e, he
en i e ci y block o Topog aphy o Te o has been cu a ed o be expe ienced
as one homogenous (albei laye ed) concep ualisa ion o Be lin’s Nazi pas . A
guided ou a ound he emnan s o he si e wo ks in ha mony wi h musealised
depic ions o he SS and he SA in Be lin du ing he Nazi egime inside he
documen a ion cen e. In a simila ein, Tue elsbe g is no ee om p ocesses
o musealisa ion and he i age cu a ion — ences, an en y ee, guided ou s,
and i s p esence in ou ism li e a u e a e all es amen o cu a o ial in luences
om a ious go e nmen and communi y ac o s. These also p esen a singula
– hough laye ed– memo y ex .
On he o he hand, he si es a e also made up o se e al di e en
spa ial and mnemonic elemen s: Topog aphy o Te o is a once an emp y, open
space, a bu ied and exposed a chaeological si e, and a musealisa ion p ojec
documen ing he c imes and sys ems o Nazi s a e- e o . Wi h con empo a y
ou ism p ac ice, 90’s al e na i e cul u al use, Cold Wa in elligence ga he ing,
piles o ubble, and a no -qui e des oyed Nazi mili a y acili y lying benea h i ,
Teu elsbe g is a li e al palimpses . I can be seen as laye s o he physical aces
o key pa s o Be lin’s his o y: globalisa ion, pos - euni ica ion, Cold Wa , pos -
wa , and Na ional Socialism espec i ely.
These di e en and on occasion compe ing concep ualisa ions o
di e en pas s beg de ailed analysis o ways in which Be lin’s wa ime pas
migh be emembe ed. I is impo an o he e o e analyse he a chaeological
pa s o he si es wi hin he con ex o hese o he ex ual and ma e ial aspec s.
4. The au ho i y o au hen ic emnan s
Si es o memo y, like all memo y ex s, cons uc hei own speci ic
biog aphies. How hey we e o med, and he ac o s behind his o ma ion,
a e con inually e ealed h ough he ma e iali y o he si es. The oice o he
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designe in ex s in ol ed in emembe ing is almos always conside ed as c ucial
when de e mining he o m and unc ion o a ex (Lei h & Meye son, 1989).
Places o memo y, in pa icula , a e o en assessed as o how well hey con ey
he message and in en o hei designe . A ma e ial emnan is o en o e ed
up as an an ido e o so s o o e a emp s a codi ica ion on he pa o hese
designe s, pa icula ly i hey a e s a e igu es o bodies. A chaeological digs
o en make claims o ideas o au hen ici y ha migh challenge he asse ions
o o icial memo y p ojec s, which seek o solidi y pa icula na a i es. “Ma e ial
emnan s,” a gues Tuma kin, “p o ide en y poin s in o o he wise unhea d
s o ies, and o his o ies ha elude language” (1985, p. 200). Remnan s a e
o en deemed o e lec a o ensic u h, an unmedia ed encoun e wi h he pas
(Edenso , 2005). Because o he p esence o a chaeological emnan s, bo h
he Topog aphy o Te o and Teu elsbe g engage he idea ha he pas migh
be conside ed ou side o commodi ied and explici ly coded encoun e s wi h he
pas . Remnan s ha ha e been le o be disco e ed a andom and wi hou
con ol o si e-designe s can be ead as gi ing es imony, no only o he e en s
which hey wi nessed, bu o he au hen ici y o his es imony.
Howe e , a om being an unmedia ed poin o access o he pas , as
Edenso a gues, he meaning o de i us can be con olled –al hough no ully,
as Cla k a gues (2015 p. 86)– Cla k e e s o on-si e a emp s o code emnan s
(signs, ou s, in o ma ion plaques), bu a chaeology is also a o m o na a i e
de ice i sel . Wha a chaeology ep esen s is con inually ep oduced and
ci cula ed elsewhe e, h ough o he ep esen a ions and ex s – ilm, ele ision,
li e a u e, a , poli ics, museums, e en news–.
The pe cei ed dicho omy be ween o icial memo y p ojec s and
“coun e ” na a i es is o en e oked in discussions o Topog aphy o Te o ( o
example: F ase , 2012), la gely because o he acciden al na u e o i s c ea ion
and he p esence o uin, ubble, and a chaeological emnan s. Indeed, he
o de ed, ca e ully cu a ed in o ma ion p esen in he documen a ion cen e
con as s s a kly wi h he abandoned elics on he es o he si e. In i s ini ial
commemo a i e phases, howe e , he si e ha is now he Topog aphy o Te o
was less o a cen alised, homogenised si e, and mo e o a collec ion o loosely
ela ed elics. The si e was only es ablished as a pe mamnen exhibi ion in
1992. Be o e ha , he emnan s and a chi al in o ma ion unco e ed in 1985
was displayed in a decidedly empo a y exhibi ion. This make-shi , communi y-
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des uc ion. Teu elsbe g is li e ally cons uc ed ou o he emnan s. Sha e ed
pieces o ock, b ick, ma ble, e aco a, po celain iles, a e ound, no so much
ac oss he su ace o he hill, bu making up he su ace. Teu elsbe g is no
cha ac e ised by an exposed a chaeological dig, bu by he lack o i . In his
sense, a chaeology is no used by he designe s o he si e bu by he audience.
In ipping o e he emnan s o p e-wa Be lin, he isi o migh wonde a wha
lies below, dig wi h hei imagina ion, so o speak. This imagined a chaeology
can be achie ed h ough pho og aphy and cinema ics, oo: “I imagine my ilm
being a ype o X- ay, sending elec omagne ic wa es h ough he hill’s su ace
o e eal wha lies bu ied2. Ye , he ilm will show only wha I see: di , g ass,
sh ubs, ees and ubble.” (Ande son, 2015, p.75). The ubble is p ominen ,
insis en — he pa hs a e o en li e ed wi h pieces o ubble ha ip he
unsuspec ing walke . Con a y o Ande son’s (2015) hesis, he ubble o Be lin
is nei he bu ied — a he han being hidden unde g ound, i is piled high abo e
and o e he g ound — no is i co e ed by a o ge ing o es . The ubble, and
hus he pos -wa eco e y p ocesses ha b ough Teu elsbe g in o being, a e
in usi e in o an o he wise qui e no mal u ban g een space. One can’ help bu
d aw pa allels wi h Gun e Demnig’s “S umbling S ones” p ojec 3. These we e
designed o in e up smoo h mo emen s o he u ban walke h ough Eu opean
ci ies, o suddenly and pain ully emind walke s o he auma once played ou on
he g ound on which hey walk (Gould & Sil e man, 2013, p. 796). The ipping
o he isi o o Teuelsbe g akes on a mo e complex meaning gi en i s p oximi y
o a ci y ha has some na a i es and expe iences o he wa embedded wi hin
i (i.e he millions killed and expo ed in he Holocaus ) and some delibe a ely
omi ed ( he housands killed and e o ised by he bombings). In con as o he
Topog aphy o Te o , he pas ha is e ealed by bu ied emnan s a Tue elsbe g
is one ha is no widely engaged wi hin mo e no ma i e mnemonic lexicons o
he Second Wo ld Wa . (Connelly, 2001) This highligh s and pe pe ua es he
2 Ande son is e e ing o he Nazi mili a y school ha is umou ed o lie bu ied unde Teu elsbe g
3 Demnig’s memo ial consis s o o e 20 housand 4x4 inch ile-sized b ass plaques, designed o mimic he
cobble s ones o Eu opean ci y’s s ee s in which hey a e embedded. Demigs s ones can be ound in ci ies in
Aus ia, Ge many, he Ne he lands and Hunga y, ou side he homes and businesses o ic ims o he Holocaus
and o he pe secu ed amilies unde Nazism. Each s one ca ies he insc ip ion “Hie wohn e” (“He e li es”)
and hen he names, yea o bi h and, i possible, yea o dea h o i s o me occupan s .Many o he s ones
simply ca y he insc ip ion “depo e ”, bu occasionally “emo de in Auschwi z”.

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no ma i e amewo k o hese Holocaus -cen e ed na a i es (A. Assman, 2006),
bu also shows a ce ain insis ence o he des uc ion o Be lin ha won’ go
away, e en a e 75 yea s. The ubble o Be lin a Teu elsbe g is any hing bu
do man , quie , lying unde g ound, wai ing o be unco e ed.
Buchli and Lucas a gue he alue o in e oga ing why and when
pa icula a chaeologies o he ecen pas ( o ins ance digs a ba le si es om
he Second Wo ld Wa ) appea when hey do. They ask “Wha a e he social and
his o ical ci cums ance ha pe mi such cul u al wo k?” (2001, p. 15). Fo u u e
esea ch, i migh be ui ul o in es iga e he easons why an a chaeology o
he ma e ial des uc ion o Be lin is absen , whils one o Na ional Socialism and
i s his o ical ep ession is pe mi ed.
6. A chaeology and his o ical alue
A chaeology, howe e , doesn’ simply unco e some hing ha was
al eady he e. The ac o a chaeology in ac “wills in o being a chaeological
objec s o discou se” (Buchli & Lucas, 2001, p. 16). Buchli and Lucas a gue ha
a chaeology cons i u es he un-cons i u ed, makes discu si e he un-discu si e,
en anchises disen anchised na a i es (2001, p. 16). A chaeology’s po en ial
is o unco e wha was hidden, o b ing o o e no jus ha which was absen
bu which may ha e been d owned ou by o he in o ma ion. Pe haps he
answe o he ques ion ha spawned his in es iga ion is he mos ob ious:
Teu elsbe g hasn’ been dug up because i hasn’ (ye ) been designa ed a si e o
a chaeological impo ance. This may be because o he alue an a chaeological
dig would assign, no only o he emnan s, bu o he episode o his o y o which
he emnan s ges u e. T igg (2009) a gues ha uins a e o en a ionalised
in o a use ulness ha gi es hem alue beyond newness. The alloca ion
o a chaeological s a us o an objec no only assigns i his o ical alue, bu
assigns alue o he e en o which i was wi ness as well.
He ein lays a s ange pa adox o a chaeology: whils i can sub e
dominan his o ical na a i es, i can simul aneously consign hem o his o y.
A chaeology nea ly co dons o he pas om he p esen , behind glass and
el e ope, a he same ime ha i ensu es he con inued insis ence o ha
pas in o e e yday li e.
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In he 1980’s, Topog aphy o Te o was held up as a symbol o
digging in o a coun y’s ounda ions o expose he ep ession o pa s o he
pas ha had no ye been examined. I assigned his o ical alue o Na ional
Socialis emnan s. Bu oday, Topog aphy o Te o se es a sligh ly di e en
unc ion. A chaeology c ea es a sa e empo al dis ance om he his o ical
pe iod being exposed. A he same ime ha he ac i is -a chaeologis s chu ned
up and exposed ha d u hs and ho o s o Ge many’s pas , hey immedia ely
elega ed hem o “His o y”, he s u o museum, ex book, and lib a y. Young
ouches on his phenomenon when he discusses he in isibili y o Holocaus
memo ials. These can also elega e he pas o a ga ed-o a ea o discou se,
c ea ing a smoo h, e en inish on a a he complex and ough his o y: “I is
his ‘ inish’ ha epels ou a en ion,” a gues Young, iden i ying he s asis ha
u ns he dynamic memo y in o s one, ha “makes a monumen in isible. I
is as i a monumen ’s li e in he communal mind g ows as ha d and polished
as i s ex e io o m, i s signi icance as ixed as i s place in he landscape”
(2000, p. 12). Young a gues ha ou gaze “slides o ” he pas as soon as i is
becomes cemen ed in he s one o a monumen . A chaeological digs in Be lin,
as memo ial and museum si es, ha e he po en ial o ake on a simila quali ies.
The sa e empo al dis ance implied in a chaeology holds echoes o “d awing a
line”4 unde Ge many’s Nazi pas (Langenbache , 2010). This empo al dis ance
mus be hough o beyond he s ic ly linea sense. When he exp essed ea s o
“d awing a line” unde nea h he Second Wo ld Wa , He man B inks did no lag
conce n o he g adual passing o ime, bu o he co doning o o he in luence
o he wa om he p esen .
A chaeology en ails an admission ha he e is some hing hidden,
some hing missing. An a chaeological dig a Teu elsbe g would sugges he e
is an aspec o Be lin’s his o y o be unco e ed, which would sugges ha he
co e ing happened in he i s place. I would acknowledge Teu elsbe g as a
poli ical, his o icised, memo y p ojec . The o ge ing enac ed in bu ying he
ubble (wha S einbach iden i ied as supp ession by sand and di a Topog aphy
o Te o ) is a poin o encoun e wi h he memo y egimes o he pos -wa
4 A amous line by Du ch academic Jan He man B inks. The e m became sho hand o ins ances o pos -
uni ica ion memo y cul u e in Ge many ha embodied a desi e o “mo e on” om Ge many’s Na ional
Socialis pas by and consigning i o his o y.
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occupie s and he way hey deal wi h a his o y o de ea and guil . Wha his
e eals is he ep esen a ional clou o non-s a e-sponso ed he i age o ou ism
si es. Real, unmedia ed encoun e s wi h he pas can be p o ided as well as
unde mined by a chaeological digs. I is impo an a his s age o no e ha he
a chaeological dig assigns alue o an objec ha is a once “his o ical”, in he
s a e-sponso ed, a i ied, publicly igid sense, as well as he alue o au hen ic
aw ma e ials o he pas . The p esence o hemes o bu ial, supp ession, and
unco e ing ou lined abo e only ein o ce his.
7. Discussion/Conclusion
Buchli and Lucas ask o a chaeology “Wha a e he social and his o ical
ci cums ances ha pe mi such cul u al wo k o exis ?” A chaeological digs
communica e Be lin’s pas in he speci ic con ex o cu en cul u al-poli ical
emembe ing o he Second Wo ld Wa . The way he ep esen a ional de ice
o a chaeology is p esen a hese si es e eals he na u e and posi ion he
des uc ion o Be lin has in he con ex o he cul u al memo y lexicon o wa .
The a chaeological asse ion o au hen ici y as i is p esen a
Topog aphy o Te o e idences he pe sis en need o au hen ica e he memo y
o he Holocaus and he wa c imes o he Nazis. A Teu elsbe g, howe e ,
a chaeological emnan s indica e how he ma e ial impac and des uc ion o
he wa — namely, Allied ae ial a acks — does no need o be (o pe haps
canno ye be) au hen ica ed.
The emnan s a Teu elsbe g a e no legi imised by an a chaeological
dig. Fu he mo e, bu ied emnan s signal he geneaology o Second Wo ld Wa
cul u al memo y deba es as laye s o di and clay. This has shi ed om an e a
ha demanded acknowledgemen and unco e ing o he deep oo s o Be lin’s
Nazi pas o an open acknowledgmen , e en o he p ocesses o sel -induced
amnesia ha was symbolised in he bu ied ounda ions a Topog aphy o Te o .
The lack o a dig a Teu elsbe g sugges s he ma e ial emnan s o he des uc ion
o Be lin emain co e ed, and hus la gely unacknowledged by Be lin’s o icial
memo y-make s. The socio-poli ical p ocesses, which pushed onnes o ubble
o poin s in he ci y and allowed a o es o g ow o e hem, emain co e ed as
well. Howe e , he ubble is no bu ied, bu heaped upon i sel . I s insis ence
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in o he memo ial landscape o Be lin –as a opog aphical anomaly and a
chu ning mass o deb is— p e en s he des uc ion o which i is wi ness om
being conside ed comple ely bu ied. The pile o ubble s ands as es amen o
bo h he massi e clean-up e o and he massi e a ack ha made clean-up
necessa y, bu i isn’ qui e deigned wi h his o ical signi icance in he same way
he Ges apo, SA, and SS a e a Topog aphy o Te o . The Holocaus and Na ional
Socialism a e gi en i al his o ical alue a Topog aphy o Te o . Con as ing ha
si e wi h Teu elsbe g ou lines he pe sis en ye seconda y his o ical na a i es
o damage caused o Eu opean ci ies du ing he Second Wo ld Wa in Eu opean
cul u al memo y. A chaeology, when conside ed as a spa ial he o ical de ice,
e eals mnemonic p ojec s and hei his o ies, jus as much as i e eals s a a
o ea h benea h ou ee .
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