City Hall and Marienplatz in Munich May 1945; Photo; Licensed article; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown; Licensable; Rights: © Bleek/zb Media.
City Hall and Marienplatz in Munich May 1945
Description
City Hall and Marienplatz in Munich May 1945; Photo; Licensed article; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown; Licensable; Rights: © Bleek/zb Media.
Town hall and Marienplatz, Munich – May 1945
A US jeep rolls slowly across Marienplatz, which has been cleared of rubble. The streets have been made passable, but the wounds of war are visible everywhere. In the background is the damaged New Town Hall, which now serves as the headquarters of the US troops. Its neo-Gothic façade is marked by impacts, windows are shattered and parts of the roof are missing – but the striking carillon still towers over the square, a remaining landmark in the midst of the destruction.
A few Munich residents stand at the side of the road in worn clothing, observing, groping for a new normality. The piled-up rubble shows the slow transition from destruction to reconstruction.
There is an unspoken hope in the picture: the war is over. And Munich will live on.
