Ludwig Maximilian University Munich
It’s more than an institution it’s an experience!
- a FirstStep.me feature
Walking into the main entrance of the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität (LMU) München, this is the German name of it, is to be honest just plain epic, as soon as you walk in you get this air of prestige with an essence of knowledge.
However seeing the monument for the White Rose group that fought the Nazi Government during World War Two is more intriguing than I could imagine. I guess coming from South Africa and knowing that resistance is part of our political history you tend to forget that other countries have experienced atrocities parallel to Apartheid. For the first time I am introduced to the concept of students fighting for a cause that was larger than life itself. The story of the White Rose group is heart filled and intellectually stimulating, I see the various dedications that is placed in remembrance of them but I can’t imagine their strife as much as I want to.
I walk around the university with huge admiration and realize that for once it’s an institution of bigger value than just one of that focuses on education. For years I was subjected to the fact that universities were places to study and qualify, a place that gave you a piece of paper to earn a living. Now I see that was all wrong, we have forgotten that we go to university to live life…learn but at the same time challenge. To remember that with knowledge comes diligence, commitment and boundless amounts of enthusiasm.
As I leave the main entrance of the university’s main building I stand tall on Geschwister-Scholl-Platz, I see the university library in close proximity and in the evening twilight I feel like the buildings and structures have been painted onto a real life canvas. I walk through this painting and I am taken to a classic reminder that a war once riddled this city. The sudden glass shattering realization that this painting is a real expression and that war is not a solution is severely spine chilling. The reminder, bullet holes from the second world war, still intact and hauntingly juxtaposed.
I am understanding more now, the White Roses just didn’t stand up against the Nazi’s but fought for the rights of students all around the world. That as students one should live life to the fullest and understand that though we receive a piece of paper at the end of the day from an institution it doesn’t mean we have to give away our rights and choices. My fingers graze the Bullet Holes and the wall begins to engulf my thoughts. I now understand the strife that the White Rose group wanted me to imagine, I understand that the Ludwig Maximilian University is not just a breeding ground for tomorrows leaders and Europe’s future but a benchmark for universities around the world who forgot that students are not just students but individuals who see the world for what it really is!
You can find out more about The Ludwig Maximilian University Munich on their official website:
http://www.uni-muenchen.de
Wikipedia has more on the White Rose group:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Rose
