"The monument is..."
Photo: SFR Stefan Fischer
Exhibition on the forecourt of the German National Library in Frankfurt am Main from 3 May to 1 June 2024
What is the best way to remember important historical events such as the Peaceful Revolution of 1989, which will celebrate its 35th anniversary this year? And how can places of remembrance such as monuments promote democracy in the present day?
The German Bundestag has resolved to start building a national monument to freedom and unity in Leipzig in 2025 with the aim of keeping the memory of the Peaceful Revolution of the autumn of 1989 alive in the present and future. The Stiftung Friedliche Revolution (Peaceful Revolution Foundation) is overseeing the process of developing the future monument.
In the autumn of 2023, it developed the touring exhibition "The monument is...", consisting of works by eleven international artists who use film as a medium to address fundamental aspects of remembrance culture and memorial processes. The exhibition and the planned monument deliberately look beyond Leipzig and refer to similar developments and processes in Europe.
The exhibition will be open to visitors from 3 May to 1 June 2024 in Frankfurt am Main, a key location in the history of German democracy. It will be held in an unusual setting on the German National Library's forecourt: a historic "Raumerweiterungshalle", a mobile architectural structure dating from the 1960s which will serve as both an attention-getter and a place of encounter.
For four weeks, the exhibition will be providing information on how the monument development process has progressed to date. It will be complemented by a dialogue-oriented supporting programme of guided tours, discussions, readings and workshops. Besides keeping the memory of the Peaceful Revolution of 1989 alive, its main purpose is to encourage future generations to defend democratic freedoms in Germany and oppose anti-democratic movements.
The exhibition by the Stiftung Friedliche Revolution (Peaceful Revolution Foundation) is being organised in cooperation with the German National Library and the "Stiftung Orte der Deutschen Demokratiegeschichte" (Foundation for Sites of German Democratic History) with the support of "Freedom of Speech Week", an initiative by the Börsenverein des Deutschen Buchhandels (German Publisher and Booksellers Association).
Information for your visit
The exhibition is in German and English.
Opening hours and admission
Monday to Saturday 10-18
Closed on Sundays and on Whit Monday
Admission free
Guided tours
General and theme-based guided tours of our exhibitions are held on a regular basis.
To the events calendar
Group tours
You are also welchome to book group tours (2 days in advance). Simply write an e-mail to us: vermittlung@stiftung-fr.de
Accessibility
Barrier-free access to the exhibition is available.
Address and getting here
German National Library
Adickesallee 1
60322 Frankfurt am Main
Getting here
We advise you to use public transport
1 / By public transport
By rail
From the main railway station, take the U4 in the direction of Bornheim or Enkheim or the S-Bahn in the direction city centre and get off at “Konstablerwache”. Change to the U5 in the direction of Preungesheim and get off at the stop “Deutsche Nationalbibliothek”. Journey time approx. 15 minutes.
By plane
From the airport (regional station), take S-Bahn S8 in the direction of Hanau or the S9 in the direction of Offenbach and get off at “Konstablerwache”. Change to the U5 in the direction of Preungesheim and get off at the stop “Deutsche Nationalbibliothek”. Journey time approx. 30 minutes.
By bus
The “Deutsche Nationalbibliothek” bus stop is served by the number M32 bus.
2 / By car
The address for navigation devices is Eckenheimer Landstraße 165. The building is accessed from the underground car park. The maximum entrance height is 2.0 m.
Approaching from the west
Take the A66 to the end of the autobahn in Miquelallee and follow the signs for Fulda/Hanau; at the third intersection, turn right into Eckenheimer Landstraße in the direction of the city centre; follow the signs and turn right into the underground car park.
Approaching from the north
Take the A661 to the Eckenheim exit, get into the lane for the city centre/Eckenheim, continue straight on to the third major set of traffic lights and cross these. The entrance to the underground car park is located at the German National Library building around 100 metres further on the right.
Parking
Our underground car park has 100 parking spaces for visitors on the first basement floor.
Opening hours: Monday to Friday 6:00 to 22:00, Saturday 8:00 to 18:00.
Fees: 2.00 Euro/hour, cash only.
The permanent rental of parking spaces is not possible.
For on-street parking spaces in the Holzhausenviertel district, the City of Frankfurt of Main charges 50 cents per quarter hour or part thereof from Monday to Friday between 7:00 and 19:00.
3 / Accessibility
The German National Library in Frankfurt am Main has designated disabled parking spaces in its underground car park and next to the building in Schlosserstraße. The Library's public rooms can be accessed by lift from the underground car park. Barrier-free access to the main entrance is also available from Schlosserstraße.
4 / For delivery companies
Drivers transporting deliveries to the depot are requested to use the truck drivers’ entrance on Eckenheimer Landstrasse and turn right following the signs to the depot.
Address for navigation devices:
Eckenheimer Landstrasse 165
Last changes:
19.04.2024
