By Gunnar Schupelius
The objection to the construction of the second north-south S-Bahn is understandable, but the project of the century must still be started, says Gunnar Schupelius.
The memorial to the murdered Sinti and Roma of Europe is located in the Tiergarten at the Reichstag. It consists of a circular black water basin. In the middle there is a fresh flower on a stone triangle.
A new S-Bahn tunnel must be dug directly under the monument, connecting the main station with the Potsdamer Platz station (S 21). This north-south line is urgently needed, there is no doubt about it.
But this tunnel has been disputed for eight (!) years. The railway tested a total of 15 (!) underground routes around the Reichstag.
The only option left was a route that runs under the memorial. Initially it was said that the monument would have to be relocated during the tunnel construction. The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma fought against this. Now it seems as if the memorial could remain in place during construction.
But there is still a catch: the flower that lies on the stone triangle must always be fresh. That’s what the artist Dani Karavan, who created the monument in 2012, wants.
Since it is a cut flower, it wilts and needs to be replaced daily. In the morning, the withered flower is lowered into a space under the water basin using a small lifting platform and replaced with a fresh flower.
You can get under the pool through a corridor; the entrance is on the edge of the monument. This underground passage stands in the way of the construction work for the S-Bahn tunnel.
The Central Council of German Sinti and Roma does not want to let this fail. They recognize “the necessity of the construction project of the new S-Bahn line,” which is “important for the infrastructure and for millions of people in Berlin,” said Central Council Chairman Romani Rose.
A solution is now being sought to relocate access during construction work so that it remains possible to place a new flower every day.
So far, so good, but in the meantime, outraged celebrities have opened a new front. With a letter of protest, Daniel Barenboim, Iris Berben, Wim Wenders and other artists defend themselves against the fact that Deutsche Bahn wants to cut down five trees at the monument. They will be replanted after construction work is completed. The BZ reported on this
Barenboim, Berben and Wenders may not have understood how important the new S-Bahn tunnel is. However, this is not difficult to understand.
There is currently only one north-south S-Bahn tunnel, which dates back to the 1930s and is overloaded. In addition, the main train station must be connected, in the south to Südkreuz and in the north to Gesundbrunnen.
What the S-Bahn is planning here is a once-in-a-century project. This cannot and must not fail because of the monument in the zoo.
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