Laboe Naval Memorial
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

The Laboe Naval Memorial (a.k.a. ''Laboe Tower,'' German: ''Marine-Ehrenmal Laboe'') is a
memorial A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects such as home ...
located in
Laboe Laboe () is a municipality in the district of Plön, in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is situated on the Baltic Sea coast, approximately 10 km northeast of Kiel. The Laboe Naval Memorial is located within the municipality, as is the U-boa ...
, near
Kiel Kiel ( ; ) is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein. With a population of around 250,000, it is Germany's largest city on the Baltic Sea. It is located on the Kieler Förde inlet of the Ba ...
, in
Schleswig-Holstein Schleswig-Holstein (; ; ; ; ; occasionally in English ''Sleswick-Holsatia'') is the Northern Germany, northernmost of the 16 states of Germany, comprising most of the historical Duchy of Holstein and the southern part of the former Duchy of S ...
,
Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
. Started in 1927 and completed in 1936, the monument originally commemorated the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
war dead of the Kaiserliche Marine, with the
Kriegsmarine The (, ) was the navy of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It superseded the Imperial German Navy of the German Empire (1871–1918) and the inter-war (1919–1935) of the Weimar Republic. The was one of three official military branch, branche ...
dead of
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
being added after 1945. In 1954 it was rededicated as a memorial for the sailors of all nationalities who were lost at sea and at the same time a memorial for peaceful sailing in open seas. The monument consists of a
tower A tower is a tall Nonbuilding structure, structure, taller than it is wide, often by a significant factor. Towers are distinguished from guyed mast, masts by their lack of guy-wires and are therefore, along with tall buildings, self-supporting ...
topped by an observation deck. The deck stands a total above sea level. A hall of remembrance and World War II-era German submarine ''U-995'', which houses a technical museum, both sit near the foot of the monument, and the site is a popular tourist venue. ''U-995'' is the world's only remaining Type VII U-boat. The tower was designed by architect Gustav August Munzer, who stated that the form was not meant to represent anything specific but was to inspire positive feelings in those who look at it. It has been associated by guides with the stem of a
Viking longship Longships, a type of specialised Viking ship, Scandinavian warships, have a long history in Scandinavia, with their existence being archaeologically proven and documented from at least the fourth century BC. Originally invented and used by th ...
or the
conning tower A conning tower is a raised platform on a ship or submarine, often armoured, from which an officer in charge can conn (nautical), conn (conduct or control) the vessel, controlling movements of the ship by giving orders to those responsible for t ...
of a submarine. The memorial complex was taken over by the
Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...
at the end of the war in 1945, which expelled the ''Deutscher Marinebund'' responsible for its preservation. In 1954, the Allies returned it to the new Deutscher Marinebund, with the obligation to extend the memorial to the victims of the German navy in the two world wars, as well as to its enemies. In 1996, it was decided to extend the commemoration to all sailors in general, and to evoke the freedom of the seas. The tower is high, long and wide and is located above sea level. The
German Navy The German Navy (, ) is part of the unified (Federal Defense), the German Armed Forces. The German Navy was originally known as the ''Bundesmarine'' (Federal Navy) from 1956 to 1995, when ''Deutsche Marine'' (German Navy) became the official ...
has a memorial inscribed on the left-hand side for its sailors who “have lost their lives since 1955 in the performance of their duty”, and a similar memorial for civilian victims of disasters at sea, inscribed on the right.


Gallery

File:201105_Laboe_U995.JPG, The
German submarine U-995 German submarine ''U-995'' is a Type VIIC/41 U-boat of Nazi Germany's ''Kriegsmarine''. She was laid down on 25 November 1942 by Blohm & Voss in Hamburg, Germany, and commissioned on 16 September 1943 with ''Oberleutnant zur See'' Walter Köhn ...
at Laboe Naval Memorial. File:Marineehrenmal_Laboe_1.jpg, Rear view of the tower Image:Ehrenmal und Uboot Laboe.jpg, Laboe Tower seen from water with submarine museum ''U-995'' at beach File:Laboe U995.JPG, Laboe Memorial and submarine museum ''U-995''. Image:Marineehrenmal Laboe 1.jpg, Memorial Square Image:Still_On_Patrol.jpg, Plaque memorializing fallen U.S. submariners. Image:U-995 Marineehrenmal Laboe.jpg, ''U-995'', photographed from top of the memorial tower Image:Prinz_Eugen_Schraube_1.jpg, Propeller of heavy cruiser '' Prinz Eugen''


References


External links


Deutscher Marinebund e.V.
* Kiel World War I memorials in Germany Buildings and structures in Plön (district) Museums in Schleswig-Holstein Maritime museums in Germany Military and war museums in Germany Naval monuments and memorials {{SchleswigHolstein-struct-stub