In July 2008, a new Madame Tussauds wax museum will be opening in Berlin. The new museum, the eighth Madame Tussauds in the world, will have exhibits on German history, culture, sports, and music. Among the famous people on display will be wax likenesses of Albert Einstein, Boris Becker, the Dalai Lama, J-Lo, and George Clooney. However, also on display will be a wax likeness of Adolf Hitler. Many find Hitler's inclusion to be distasteful.
The museum has taken certain precautions with the Hitler likeness such as choosing to display him in his last days rather than at the height of his power. Also, the wax Hitler will be specially placed behind a desk so that visitors cannot take pictures with him. This Spiegel Online article has more about the wax Hitler controversy.
Comments
Adolph Hitler was a very influential person in history. Of course he was not a good influence and the majority of people visiting the museum will realize that. If there are other dictators and their evil henchmen depicted in the museum I see no reason to exclude Hitler. It’s odd that here in the U.S. college students revere a Cuban mass murderer by the name of Che Guevara. His face is plastered all over t-shirts and posters depicting him as some kind of hero. One can only wonder if these students actually know anything about his brutal acts of murder. Somehow I doubt it since famous American movie producers and directors have made movies that glorify him. Since Hitler was an integral part of history I see no reason to exclude his likeness in any museum. As long as he is not made into some false heroic icon to be revered there is no problem. Whatever good that he did for Germany doesn’t even compare with the evil that he perpetuated on the whole world.
Hitler was a murderer and one should never forget the cost the soldiers and the Jewish people who died in the name of Hitler’s expense. Are the soldiers & the encamped Jews seen alongside Hitler? Let history remember the wrong he did because thatfar outdid whatever influencial right he thought he had! Thanks to all the soldiers & encamped Jews who died because I live in freedom!
Whatever has happened in the past cannot be changed,he was one of the part of history,just by having a wax statue doesn’t mean glorification/deitification.
Let all who are sensitive on this issue against it ponder upon what has happened since then in other parts of europe ?Was Adolf Hitler/legacy/ideology responsible for it say events in France against minorities/happening in kosovo ?
What & how successive governments post war have influnced on horrors of totalarianism ?
Why people are not talking against inclusion of Eric Honecker ?
Is it to appease certain sections ?Have so called pseudo intellectuals assessed his role thoroughly in E Germany ?
Why is certain sort of lobbying for & against some ones like UK Historian David Irwing ?
Have fellow countrymen have not matured enough in 63 years of democracy ?
Can German citizens owe a right or look objectively on their past history ?
Heavens won’t fall by inclusion of a wax statue.
Gitler killed 50 millions people. His name must be forgotten. Do you remember the story about Herostrat? This story is repeating. In Europe, Asia, America – in the whole world increases neonacist and neofashist parties. Gitler is their idol. Perhaps, our forefathers fought against fashism for nothing? Perhaps, our children will fight again – fight in World Sitizen War? Perhaps, they will die in concentration camps again – in hundreds new Auschwitzes, Majdaneks and Treblinkas? Perhaps, they will be hangmen in this camps? Do you want this? Somebody really wants this, and they enjoy the fruits of our indulgence to some people in our history and some people who lives now. If we are tolerance of fashists and nacists’ views – we assist them to seize power and to destroy our *tolerance* world.