What’s a Denkmal? Germany’s War Memorials and the Casual Tourist

National monuments are frequently constructed from war narratives, either to commemorate a victory or to mourn fallen heroes. They also create national cohesion by providing a visual expression of collective identity. As Alon Confino and others argue, these structures serve as rallying points by preserving distinct historical events and creating communal memories for both the generation who lived the event and for those who follow. Monuments receive recognition as deliberate sites of memory, commonly on the anniversary of the event, when dignitaries and others come to present tokens of remembrance in public ceremonies. However, not all encounters with monuments are expressly commemorative; some are accidental. For example, foreign visitors often encounter a site while pursuing some larger agenda like a vacation itinerary. These leisure tourists do not necessarily have an obvious connection to the monument, and they may not understand its purpose. Yet, there are numerous resources that seek to provide the missing connection. This paper addresses the intersection between memorialization and the phenomenon of modern mass tourism. Utilizing popular post-World War II guidebooks such as Fodor’s, Let’s Go, and Frommers, I examine how these reference texts shape average American tourists’ interactions with sites of German memory. I consider what kinds of frameworks these guides construct for visitors and what messages those frameworks convey. I also discuss the role this information plays in creating visitor preconceptions and how this helps, and hinders, one’s interaction with the actual site. Under consideration are descriptions of memorials like Berlin’s Gedächtniskirche, Neue Wache, Siegessäule and Topography of Terror, especially how these descriptions situate the monuments within a broader socio-historical context. Tracing how these descriptions change over time, I argue that guidebooks use these sites not as locations of memory but as contemporary vehicles in evolving Cold War politics.