MEMORIAL
Lest we forget
While not a highlight of German history, and thus not of Bad Vilbel’s either, the war memorial on the edge of the Kurpark serves as a historical testament to its time.
The desire for a monument to fallen soldiers existed as early as the end of the First World War, though it remained unfulfilled. A political majority for the project was only found after the National Socialists took power, and so the monument was inaugurated in July 1934 with an elaborate festival program, serving as the visual centerpiece at the end of the then newly created Kurpark.
In its heroic depiction, no room is given to the misery of war, the suffering of soldiers, or the grief of those left behind. Instead, it reinforced nationalist and military thinking that led just a few years later to the catastrophe of the Second World War and over 60 million victims of war and violence. The site near Parkstraße is a protected landmark, along with the Kurpark itself.
