{"id":17028,"date":"2026-05-29T11:35:54","date_gmt":"2026-05-29T11:35:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alst.org\/uncategorized\/the-memorial-stands-bronze-sculpture-erected-in-tiergarten-for-the-persecuted-jehovahs-witnesses\/"},"modified":"2026-07-05T19:00:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-05T19:00:02","slug":"the-memorial-stands-bronze-sculpture-erected-in-tiergarten-for-the-persecuted-jehovahs-witnesses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alst.org\/en\/news\/the-memorial-stands-bronze-sculpture-erected-in-tiergarten-for-the-persecuted-jehovahs-witnesses\/","title":{"rendered":"The memorial stands: Bronze sculpture erected in Tiergarten for the persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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An important milestone has been reached in Berlin’s Tiergarten: on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism was erected near the Goldfish Pond. After months of work, the bronze sculpture, which is almost five meters high and weighs around twelve tons, is now in place – still hidden behind a construction fence. The memorial will be ceremonially opened to the public on June 24, 2026. <\/p>\n\n

\n VIDEO:<\/strong> WDR-Lokalzeit Bergisches Land<\/strong> accompanied the creation of the memorial in a report. Click here for the video report.<\/a>\n<\/div>\n\n

A moment that many have been working towards for a long time<\/h2>\n\n

To install the memorial, three men came together, each of whom shaped the project in his own way: Uwe Langhals<\/strong>, who has been committed to erecting the memorial for around 15 years; the artist Matthias Leeck<\/strong>, who designed the memorial; and Axel Selbach<\/strong>, owner of the Wermelskirchen-based company asm<\/a>, which produced the sculpture. It was a special moment for all three of them to see the months of work finally take shape. <\/p>\n\n

As the bronze sculpture weighs around twelve tons, it was transported to the site in individual parts. A total of 16 elements – a base plate and 15 discs stacked on top – were used to create the almost five-metre-high tree trunk on site. The construction went according to plan – everyone involved was visibly relieved. <\/p>\n\n

From design to bronze sculpture<\/h2>\n\n

The design was provided by Wuppertal artist Matthias Leeck<\/a>: the sculpture has the shape of a tree trunk, symbolizing the steadfastness of the group of victims. Its jagged, scarred surface makes the suffering they endured visible – and tangible. Our article “A bronze tree”<\/a> describes how Leeck’s virtual model was transformed over months of work into a bronze work weighing several tons. <\/p>\n\n

Impressions<\/h2>\n\n

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