Way of Human Rights
Encyclopedia
The Way of Human Rights is a monumental outdoor sculpture in Nuremberg
, Germany
. It was opened on 24 October 1993. It is sited on the street between the new and old buildings of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum
, connecting Kornmarkt street and the medieval city wall.
In 1988, a twelve-person jury from the Germanisches Nationalmuseum held a design competition to decide on the artistic design of the Kartäusergasse street in Nuremberg. The winner was a proposal by Israeli artist Dani Karavan
consisting of a gate, 27 round pillar
s made of white concrete, two pillars buried in the ground showing only a round plate, and one columnar oak
, for a total of 30 pillars. Engraved in each pillar is one article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in German and another language. The pillars are 8 metres in height, 80 cm in diameter, and spaced regularly at 5 metres along an axis. The north gate mirrors the medieval city gate located at the south end of the street.
The site of project has a layered history, including the remnants of a monastery, the medieval city wall, buildings designed by Sep Ruf in the 1950s and 1960s, and a glass-enclosed entrance designed by the firm ME DI UM in 1993.
This sculpture is part of Nuremberg's efforts to shake off its Nazi-era
reputation as the "City of the Party Rallies" and reinvent itself as a "City of Peace and Human Rights". In 2001, Nuremberg was honored for this attempt at transformation with the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
, the Way of Human Rights being specifically cited. The monument is intended as both a repudiation of past crimes and a permanent reminder that human rights are still regularly violated. Nuremberg's prize for human rights, the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award
, is awarded on the site every two years.
Nuremberg
Nuremberg[p] is a city in the German state of Bavaria, in the administrative region of Middle Franconia. Situated on the Pegnitz river and the Rhine–Main–Danube Canal, it is located about north of Munich and is Franconia's largest city. The population is 505,664...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. It was opened on 24 October 1993. It is sited on the street between the new and old buildings of the Germanisches Nationalmuseum
Germanisches Nationalmuseum
The Germanisches Nationalmuseum is a museum in Nuremberg, Germany. Founded in 1852, houses a large collection of items relating to German culture and art extending from prehistoric times through to the present day...
, connecting Kornmarkt street and the medieval city wall.
In 1988, a twelve-person jury from the Germanisches Nationalmuseum held a design competition to decide on the artistic design of the Kartäusergasse street in Nuremberg. The winner was a proposal by Israeli artist Dani Karavan
Dani Karavan
Dani Karavan is an Israeli sculptor best known for site specific memorials and monuments which merge into the environment, though he has made important installations as well as other significant contributions to art and architecture.- Biography :Dani Karavan's father Abraham was the chief...
consisting of a gate, 27 round pillar
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s made of white concrete, two pillars buried in the ground showing only a round plate, and one columnar oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
, for a total of 30 pillars. Engraved in each pillar is one article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights is a declaration adopted by the United Nations General Assembly . The Declaration arose directly from the experience of the Second World War and represents the first global expression of rights to which all human beings are inherently entitled...
in German and another language. The pillars are 8 metres in height, 80 cm in diameter, and spaced regularly at 5 metres along an axis. The north gate mirrors the medieval city gate located at the south end of the street.
The site of project has a layered history, including the remnants of a monastery, the medieval city wall, buildings designed by Sep Ruf in the 1950s and 1960s, and a glass-enclosed entrance designed by the firm ME DI UM in 1993.
This sculpture is part of Nuremberg's efforts to shake off its Nazi-era
Nazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
reputation as the "City of the Party Rallies" and reinvent itself as a "City of Peace and Human Rights". In 2001, Nuremberg was honored for this attempt at transformation with the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education
The UNESCO/Bilbao Prize for the Promotion of a Culture of Human Rights, created in 1978 as the UNESCO Prize for Human Rights Education to mark the 30th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, serves to honour the efforts of organizations or individuals that have...
, the Way of Human Rights being specifically cited. The monument is intended as both a repudiation of past crimes and a permanent reminder that human rights are still regularly violated. Nuremberg's prize for human rights, the Nuremberg International Human Rights Award
Nuremberg International Human Rights Award
The Nuremberg International Human Rights Award is a German award founded on September 17, 1995. The date chosen is significant; 60 years earlier, the Nuremberg Race Laws were adopted...
, is awarded on the site every two years.
See also
- Ursula Peters: Dani Karavan: Weg der Menschenrechte, in: Ursula Peters: Moderne Zeiten. Die Sammlung zum 20. Jahrhundert, in Zusammenarbeit mit Andrea Legde, Nürnberg 2000 (Kulturgeschichtliche Spaziergänge im Germanischen Nationalmuseum, Bd.3), S.274-281.