SEARCHING FOR TRACES - THE BERLIN MEMORIAL PLAQUE
Small places of remembrance. The delicate porcelain plaques nestle discreetly against the walls and facades of buildings. There are already over 500 of these places throughout Berlin. And the number is growing. Since 1985, the memorial plaques produced by KPM have commemorated outstanding personalities and special institutions. They tell stories and keep history alive. Over the coming months, we want to show you some of them!
Art figure, musician, actor - David Bowie
Today we start with Hauptstraße 155 in Schöneberg. This is where one of the greatest musicians in pop history lived from 1976 to 1978: David Bowie, "Major Tom" or "Thin White Duke", an androgynous alien in a knitted body and kimono, Ziggy Stardust with make-up and tousled hair: Bowie was a style-defining art figure, a gifted musician, a versatile actor, a terrific lyricist, in short: an outstanding artist in every respect.
When the then 29-year-old musician moved to Berlin, it was probably only the die-hard fans who knew about the Schöneberger Quartier - but since 2016, the whole world has known. Every year on the anniversary of his death, January 10, hundreds of flowers, candles and farewell gifts commemorate his life and work - which did not remain unproductive during his years in the German capital. The three albums "Low", "Heroes" and "Lodger" have gone down in pop history as the "Berlin Trilogy". And for the rest of the year, the white board bears witness to this.
RCA Records
RCA Records
Passing through: Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn and Tom Sawyer - have you also read the adventure stories by Mark Twain, who brought the big world into our children's rooms? What many people don't know is that the trained typesetter worked mainly as a journalist - a travel journalist to be precise. This is precisely why he went to Europe for the third time in 1891, where he stayed for nine years. Our search for clues takes us to where the American lived for the winter months of 1891/1892: Körnerstraße 7 in the Tiergarten district.
The medallions are protected by a layer of wax applied with a brush before glazing. The wax melts during firing, releasing the delicate biscuit porcelain and allowing the other porcelain surfaces to shine in their brilliance.
Mark Twain (1835 - 1910)
In his travel diaries, he was quite humorous and sharp-tongued in comparison to his socially critical literary works. He repeatedly praised intellectual Berlin, albeit ironically: **"**Iactually believe that there is nothing in the world that you can't learn here. Except the German language." - A language that the author was unable to make friends with until his death in 1910. Unfortunately, Twain's life in the capital had little literary impact. The translation of Struwwelpeter into English is certainly one of his highlights.
The house in Körnerstraße, which the writer affectionately referred to as the "rag pickers' quarter", was demolished in 1902 and replaced by a post office, on which we can find the memorial plaque today.
With love for the city: Christian Morgenstern
At Stuttgarter Platz 4 in Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf we find another KPM porcelain panel. The writer and playwright Christian Morgenstern lived here around the turn of the century.
Christian Morgenstern (1871 - 1914)
Morgenstern had a talent for using language extremely creatively, which particularly appealed to readers of his works. His ironic and amiable - and sometimes somewhat biting - wit made for great reading pleasure. The "Galgenlieder" are among his most successful works and also inspired other artists. This included the sculptor Ludwig Gies, who was inspired by the poem of the same name to create the sculpture "Moon Sheep" in 1926.
Morgenstern, who died of tuberculosis in 1914, was greatly influenced by his time in Berlin. He recorded his love for the capital in his melancholy poem "Berlin" in 1906:
I love you in the fog and at night,
when your lines swim into each other, -
especially at night, when your windows glow
and humanity makes your rock come alive.
What is desolate by day becomes mysterious in the dark;
they stand there mystically like castles of souls,
the rows of houses, with their sparkle of light;
and unity is sensed by those who otherwise saw only multiplicity.
The last gleam goes out in blind panes;
a game lies in its boxes;
A boisterous hustle and bustle rests tamed,
and sacred becomes what dreams so full of destiny.
Look out for the filigree memorial plaques on your next visit to Berlin. The award-winning design by Wieland Schütz remains unchanged to this day. Whether Richard Strauss, Inge Meysel, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Hildegard Knef or Harald Juhnke: the list of stories that want to be told through the porcelain plaques is long.
Have you already discovered any? Then share them with us via Instagram. Simply post your photo in your Instagram feed or Instagram story and link @kpmberlin. We look forward to your contributions!
