Nazi Temple of Honour Munich 1945 1

Description

Nazi Temple of Honour Munich 1945 1; Photo; Licensed article; Original: 5740×4315; Photographer: Unknown;a0 Licensable; Rights: a9 Bleek/zb Media. The temples of honor on Arcisstrasse in Munich were two monumental Nazi cult sites erected in 1935 on Königsplatz. They served to glorify the National Socialists who died in the failed Hitler Putsch of 1923.
Description of the structures
Two identical temple buildings made of stone, symmetrically located on Arcisstrasse.
Each contained 16 stone sarcophagi that held the so-called “Blood Witnesses of the Movement.”
An open roof to open the temples to the sky and “eternity.”
Torches and a strict neoclassical architecture underscored the staging as a cult site of the Nazi regime.
Significance during the Nazi regime
The temples of honor were central Nazi pilgrimage sites where annual propaganda celebrations were held.
Hitler used them for staged memorial rituals to glorify the “blood witnesses” of the failed coup attempt.
The entire Königsplatz was transformed into a monumental Nazi backdrop.
Destruction and post-war period
In 1947, the US military government blew up the temples of honor to remove Nazi symbolism from Munich.
The foundations remained visible for a long time but were later built over.
Today, there are lawns on the site that serve as a reminder of the past but deliberately do not constitute a memorial.
The temples of honor are an example of the architectural self-staging of the Nazi dictatorship and show how Munich was deliberately transformed as the “capital of the movement.”