A groundbreaking design featuring a walkable organ sculpture with floating leaflets suspended above has been selected as the winning concept for a new memorial site dedicated to the White Rose resistance movement in Ulm, Germany. The competition for the future learning center, which will be located next to the Martin Luther Church, has been decided, with the winning designers already having created a major tourist attraction in the city.
The spectacular memorial will take the form of an interactive organ sculpture that visitors can walk through, symbolically representing the voices of resistance that spoke out against Nazi tyranny. Above this walkable structure, artistic representations of leaflets will appear to float in the air, directly referencing the propaganda flyers that members of the White Rose distributed to spread their anti-Nazi message throughout Germany during World War II.
The winning design team, identified as Brunner/Ritz and Lorenz Wiedemann, has already demonstrated their ability to create compelling public installations that draw significant visitor interest in Ulm. Their previous work in the city has proven to be a major draw for tourists and locals alike, giving confidence that this new memorial will similarly capture public attention and serve its educational purpose effectively.
The memorial site will be positioned strategically next to the Martin Luther Church, creating a meaningful connection between the historical religious site and the commemoration of moral courage during one of Germany's darkest periods. The White Rose was a non-violent resistance group active during the Nazi regime, primarily consisting of students from the University of Munich who distributed leaflets calling for resistance against the Nazi government.
The innovative design concept aims to create both a place of remembrance and an interactive learning environment where visitors can engage with the history of the White Rose movement. The walkable nature of the organ sculpture will allow people to physically experience the memorial while contemplating the courage and sacrifice of those who risked their lives to oppose tyranny.
