The Golden Rift

The Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church is a popular landmark near the bustling Bahnhof Zoo and hosts a well-known Christmas market each December. Unbeknownst to many visitors, it is also the site of one of Germany’s deadliest terrorist attacks of modern times.

On the church staircase, thirteen names are engraved in memory of the victims. From there, a thin golden line of brass runs along the ground and down the street, symbolizing a crack, a rupture left behind by tragedy. This memorial commemorates the December 19, 2016 attack, when a terrorist hijacked a truck and drove it into the Christmas market, killing 13 people and injuring dozens more.

The event left lasting marks beyond those etched into the pavement. Today, Christmas markets across Germany are commonly surrounded by concrete barriers, a quiet but constant reminder of the attack and the lasting impact it had on public life.