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Dramatic theft: Harburg's anti-war monument disappeared without a trace!
In Hamburg-Harburg, the anti-war monument "Mourning Child", a symbol against the war that was inaugurated in 1988, was stolen.
Dramatic theft: Harburg's anti-war monument disappeared without a trace!
On July 24, 2025, an unfortunate loss became known in the Harburg district of Hamburg: the anti-war monument “Mourning Child” was stolen. The police informed about this sad news after the report about the missing work of art was received around 2 p.m. The monument, which stood on Bremer Strasse at the corner of Maretstrasse, was created in 1988 by the Harburg sculptor Hendric-André Schulz and shows a crying child hiding his face in his hands, surrounded by destroyed soldiers' helmets.
Since its construction, the bronze sculpture has developed a strong symbolism that deals with the horrors of war and its effects. It thus represented an impressive contrast to the nearby “The Soldier” monument, which was inaugurated in 1932. This monument, created by Hermann Hosäus, depicts a war-weary soldier and sits on a six-meter-high base. Not only was it controversial at the time, but it still represents a revanchist and pro-war mentality today.
A monument with history
The “Soldier” expresses a message that glorifies war and had already met with little sympathy at the time of its creation - especially from the social democratic opposition. Over the years, the question of how to deal with such memorial sites has been repeatedly raised, especially in the context of today's social values. In the 1980s, the artist Schulz was commissioned to use “Mourning Child” to symbolize peace and mourning for the victims of war. This monument was intended to be a strong counterweight to the glorifying depiction of the soldier.
The anti-war memorial was in a rather hidden position, which may have contributed to its reduced impact. But the significance of the sculpture remains undisputed: it is intended to bring the brutality of the war and the suffering children to the fore, as is often the case with memorial sites. One could say that such places of remembrance as “Mourning Child” and “The Soldier” symbolize the principle that art and monuments not only serve to remember, but also reflect the spirit of the times.
The meaning of memorials
At a time when society is increasingly discussing the meaning and design of memorial sites, the case of “Mourning Child” vividly shows how change and historical awareness interact. It is not only recently that the values behind memorials have been questioned - as recent discussions about war memorials make clear, these are often dependent on political views and the contemporary context. For example, a Salzburg symposium addressed changes in the culture of remembrance and memorial research, with the focus also on dealing with controversial historical figures and monuments.
The discussion about 'Mourning Child' is therefore not just a local matter, but touches on general questions about remembrance, art and the responsibility that comes with remembering the past. The police are now investigating the theft and are questioning how important such memorials are for our society. It is hoped that the monument can soon be returned to its place to continue spreading the message of peace it embodies.
Further information about the monuments and their history can be found, for example, at gedenkstaetten-in-hamburg.de or sn.at.