On the 175th anniversary of the National Assembly in the Paulskirche, Frankfurt organized a public festival which, according to Federal President Steinmeier, was also intended as a “sign against those who despise our parliamentary democracy”. A noble undertaking, but one that neglected the fact that the far right also lays claim to the celebrated tradition. The AfD calls its parliamentary group room in the Bundestag “Paulskirchensaal” and sees the national monument as an expression of the German soul – in a list with D-Mark, Bundesliga, Schrebergarten, Winnetou and Wurst. From the NPD to the printed matter of publishers in Neurecht, the Paulskirche was emphasized as a particularly “German place”. In fact, the national movement of the 19th century as well as the commemorative practices of the place itself offer starting points for this. The Paulskirche is by no means defined as a place of remembrance as clearly as the culture of remembrance would like it to be.
As German as Winnetou and Wurst – culture
