To mark a significant anniversary of the end of World War II, Berlin is set to unveil a “temporary memorial” dedicated to the Polish victims of Nazi Germany. The public was stunned to learn that this so-called memorial – described euphemistically in the German media – is essentially a giant boulder. “It’s probably the same stone that fell off their hearts when Tusk gave up the fight for reparations,” commented former Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydło.
Niemcy mają dla Polaków wielki kamień. Aha. To zapewne ten kamień, który spadł im z serca, gdy Tusk zrezygnował z walki o reparacje. pic.twitter.com/GgILp07dLj
— Beata Szydło (@BeataSzydlo) April 16, 2025
The “unveiling” of the temporary memorial is scheduled for early May. It is meant to honor the Polish victims of German atrocities during WWII.
“Commemorating the victims and preserving the memory of the Nazi German occupation terror in Poland, especially in central Berlin, is a matter of deep importance to me,” said Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture in the German Federal Chancellery.
Her Polish counterpart, Minister Hanna Wróblewska, is expected to attend the ceremony. She received a personal invitation.
The “monument” is to be placed near the German parliament and the Federal Chancellery, at the former site of the Kroll Opera House. It was here that Adolf Hitler announced the Third Reich’s invasion of Poland on September 1, 1939, officially starting World War II.
The news has sparked a wave of reactions on social media. Many users were left speechless after seeing what the “memorial” actually looks like. It’s a 30-ton natural boulder, already titled “Stone of Remembrance for Poland.” According to German media, this is intended as a temporary way to honor Polish victims.
Former Deputy Foreign Minister Szymon Szynkowski vel Sęk commented on the initiative on Telewizja Republika:
“This is an unbelievable story. On the same day, we have Chancellor Olaf Scholz visiting Warsaw, and at the same time, they drop a huge rock outside the Reichstag. Eighty years after the war ended, after years of promises to build a memorial for Polish victims – without paying any reparations – they bring us a boulder. That’s what they’ve called it in the German press: a ‘Stone for Poland.’”
According to the Law and Justice (PiS) MP, “that stone is simply a slap in the face.”
“The Germans left no stone unturned in Warsaw – quite literally. In 1945, the city was in ruins. And now they want to commemorate that with a rock? I support a partnership-based Polish-German relationship. I have many colleagues in the German parliament. I’m fluent in German. But I cannot accept the way we’re being treated,” Szynkowski vel Sęk stated.
Kamień Pamięci przywieziony do Berlina to nie gest pojednania, lecz symbol wieloletnich zaniedbań i braku woli realnego upamiętnienia polskich ofiar niemieckiej agresji i okupacji. Zamiast godnego pomnika – kamień zastępczy.
— Arkadiusz Mularczyk MEP (@arekmularczyk) April 16, 2025
Haniebne jest, że w sercu Berlina wciąż brakuje…
KAMIEŃ? Po 80 latach od II Wojny Światowej, za wymordowanie milionów ludzi, za obrócenie kraju w zgliszcza? Za zrównanie z ziemią Warszawy? Za obozy, wywózki, łapanki, prace przymusowe, uliczne egzekucje, za Pawiak, kradzieże dzieł sztuki? Niemcy, sprawcy obrzydliwych i… pic.twitter.com/S6X16tNY5f
— Jacek Sasin (@SasinJacek) April 16, 2025