Yesterday, Dr Eva Högl, Parliamentary Commissioner for the Armed Forces, crossed the Kiel Fjord from Kiel Naval Base in a German Navy pinnace in the direction of Laboe to visit the naval memorial there. After an official welcome by Heinz Maurus, President of the German Naval Association (DMB), Högl laid a solemn wreath in the underground memorial hall. During the subsequent guided tour by DMB historian Dr Jann M. Witt, she was given a comprehensive insight into the history of the memorial site and the U 995 Technical Museum.
As a memorial to those of all nations who remained at sea, as well as an official memorial to the German Navy and a memorial to freedom of navigation, Högl was particularly keen to lay a wreath at the naval memorial. "It is important to remember the servicemen and women who died in the two world wars or who gave their lives in the service of peace and freedom, and to present the history of the German navy, critically explain its chequered past and look to the future," said the defence commissioner.
Talk in the historic hall of the MEM
The DMB historian explained to Högl the uniqueness of the naval memorial, whose foundation stone was laid in 1927 and whose ceremonial inauguration took place in 1936. The building was erected as a memorial to the fallen of the Imperial Navy in the First World War. This was a matter close to the hearts of the active and former members of the navy at the time, the members of the naval associations and the DMB, the Marine-Offizier-Verband (MOV) as initiators, but also other supporters, so that the new construction costs of 700,000 Reichsmark could be covered exclusively by donations. Funds totalling another four million marks were then raised through donations for a necessary renovation in the 1990s.
In this context, DMB President Maurus referred to the recently launched fundraising campaign "Rescue crew wanted! Preserve the naval memorial", which is intended to finance the now once again unavoidable renovation of the tower. Of the approximately 4.6 million euros budgeted for the work, the DMB has already been able to raise 3.5 million with support from the federal and state governments as well as from its own funds. The remaining amount is to be collected as part of a fundraising campaign. "This is an 'all hands on deck' manoeuvre that we have launched here. In five weeks, 110,000 euros have already been raised. Many thanks to everyone for this. We hope that we will be able to cover the delta of 1.1 million euros over the next two years through further donations and campaigns," revealed Heinz Maurus.
At the end of their visit, the Defence Commissioner and the DMB exchanged views on current affairs of the German Navy and the DMB over dinner at the DMB's own restaurant Heimathafen.
Text: Jana Tresp, mb; Photos: DMB/Jana Tresp
Rescue crew wanted! Mission: Preserve the naval memorial
If you would like to donate to the preservation of the naval memorial in Laboe, the German Naval Association would be pleased to receive any amount into the following account:
Donation account: DMB/Treuhänder Theis Foundation
Bank: Kieler Volksbank
IBAN: DE68 2109 0007 0056 7766 40
Further information on the MEM and the campaign can be found on the Internet at www.marine-ehrenmal-erhalten.de
English 
German
0 Kommentare