The Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted under National Socialism stands at the edge of Tiergarten, opposite the field of stelae of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Designed by Elmgreen & Dragset, it takes the form of a large concrete block with a small window. Looking through reveals a film of a same-sex kiss, turning an intimate act into the center of a monument about criminalization, persecution and denied remembrance.
The site addresses the Nazi intensification of Paragraph 175 and the tens of thousands of convictions that followed, but its meaning continues beyond 1945. Homosexual men remained criminalized in both German states for decades, and many victims were not recognized as victims after the war. The memorial’s small scale requires attention; it can be missed by visitors moving quickly between larger monuments.
This is essential not because it takes long, but because it changes how Berlin’s celebrated sexual freedom is understood. The city’s gay history includes organized liberation and extraordinary culture, but also state violence, silence and delayed recognition. Visit deliberately, read the accompanying text and resist treating it as a brief photo stop.
Pair it with Tiergarten and Schwules Museum, leaving space between them.
It is outdoors, free and easy to pass without noticing; navigate deliberately.
Approach from the Tiergarten side and take time to read the bilingual information rather than only looking through the window. The historical continuation of Paragraph 175 after 1945 is central to the site.
Visit during daylight for easier reading and orientation. The memorial is outdoors and free, so no ticket is required, but its understated position makes deliberate navigation useful.
The memorial gives necessary weight to any account of gay Berlin. Its concrete form, restricted viewpoint and recurring film make persecution personal without turning suffering into spectacle.
It requires little time but deserves full attention. The strongest reason to visit is the historical connection between Nazi persecution, postwar criminalization and the freedom encountered elsewhere in the city.
A small monument that prevents Berlin’s present freedom from losing its historical cost.