Church's 'Hitler bell' strikes duff note in tiny German town

[PHDNM]

Church's 'Hitler bell' strikes duff note in tiny German town

The church bell in Herxheim am Berg has been ringing over the tiny, wine region town for around 82 years. But some say its Nazi inscription should be reason to make it history.

The idyllic, 700-person village of Herxheim am Berg sits among rows of green vineyards in Rhineland-Palatinate, its 1,000-year-old Protestant church rising above as the one, proud landmark.

But the church, like many surviving old buildings in post-war Germany, has a direct link to the country’s Nazi past - only this one is still visible.

https://www.thelocal.de/20170607/chu...es-say-critics

[PHDNM]

German village to seek expert advice on 'Hitler bell'

A village council in western Germany has decided to seek advice on what to do with a bell in its Protestant church that bears a swastika and dedication to Nazi leader Adolf Hitler.

The council in Herxheim am Berg in the Rhineland voted unanimously on Monday evening to call in experts to decide what to do about the community-owned bell that hangs in the village's church of St James.

The bell was installed in the church tower in 1934 during the Nazi era and bears the inscription "Everything for the Fatherland - Adolf Hitler," as well as a Nazi swastika.

A retired teacher had in a newspaper article criticized the fact that the church has no display about the history of the bell.

Once the expert has delivered a report, the community plans to decide its next steps - for example, whether to place a plaque in the church.

"We will decide the text and the format in cooperation with the presbytery," Mayor Ronald Becker said.

Any plaque that might be placed in the church will cost the village nothing as a donor has already offered to pay for it.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/internat...an-village.htm

[PHDNM]

Village in southwest Germany votes to keep 'Hitler bell' as mémorial

A German village has decided to keep a contentious Nazi-era church bell that bears a swastika and the words "All for the Fatherland - Adolf Hitler", arguing it serves as a reminder of the country's dark past.

The parish council of Herxheim voted 10-3 on Monday that the bronze bell from 1934 should remain as "an impetus for reconciliation and a memorial against violence and injustice".

The council rejected an offer by the regional Protestant Church to pay for taking down the 240 kilogram bell and replacing it.

https://www.thelocal.de/20180227/ger...ll-as-memorial