“The Russian experience should give some food for thought to those who are engaged in toppling statues in the U.S. these days.”
Symbols
Resurrection Day in a Graveyard
Few Russians remain in Grozny. On Easter Sunday they drive down from neighboring Stavropol region to lay some flowers on their relatives’ graves – and then quickly leave again.
Don’t Tear Down This Wall
A quarter of a century after Ronald Reagan called on Mikhail Gorbachev to tear down the Berlin Wall, a new generation of Berliners is taking to the streets to preserve it.
Up in the Air
Berlin’s new airport, which was supposed to be the city’s gateway to the world, has turned into a symbol of its provincialism.
New Wall Splits Roma from ‘White’ Czechs
Barely 7 feet high and painted in pale yellow and brown, the wall along Maticni Street has been condemned as a “wall of shame” that is drawing new dividing lines 10 years after the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Dreams of Grandeur in Latitude and Longitude
The Institut Geographique National in France determined that an unassuming hill in Lithuania, and not Paris, was the center of Europe.
Germany’s Soccer Team Scores a Multiracial First
Gerald Asamoah kicked his way into sports history last month, when he became the first black player to wear the jersey of Germany’s national soccer team.
German Currency Leaves its Mark Across the Balkans
Thanks to Germany’s central geographic location, its economic might, and the presence of millions of foreign workers sending money home, the deutsche mark – not the dollar – is king in many parts of Europe.
Curb-Side Symbolism as Berlin Rebuilds
The proposal to demolish the Palace of the Republic has fed suspicions among eastern Germans that the West is attempting to erase all signs of their past identity.
A New Germany; A New Berlin
The largest city between Paris and Moscow, Berlin still exudes a certain air of self-conscious provinciality incongruous to its population of 3.5 million.The roots lie in the island mentality of West Berlin and the isolation of East Berlin from outside influences.
