Monument "Angel of Flames"

The monument stands in front of the town hall of Düren.
It is a 1962 work created by sculptor Adolf Wamper.
The "Angel of Flames" symbolically descends on the inhabitants of the city.
The back of the base commemorates the victims of the 2 world wars.
Above the fountain consisting of 3 basins is a plate "Memento - 11/16/1944"

Massive air raids were carried out on Düren on 16 November 1944.
In order to force the breakthrough to the Rhine and break the resistance at the Siegfried Line, the Allies planned an air offensive in 1944 against cities behind German lines, namely Düren, Jülich and Heinsberg.
The attack on the city began on November 16 at exactly 3:23 pm and lasted 21 minutes.
By 3.44 pm, the last of the 474 planes had left the devastated city.
It was mainly the Royal Air Force that carried out the bombing with 474 aircraft.
It dropped 95 target markers, 5,477 explosive bombs, and 148,980 incendiary bombs that totaled 2,751.9 tons.
99 percent of the city center was destroyed, with 3,126 dead.
Only 13 buildings survived the attack with only minor damage. The monument of Düren, the Annakirche with its 100 meter high tower, was completely destroyed.
Most of the population fled the city, a burning landscape of ruins. After the war, the city was completely rebuilt.

Source: Düren Kultur and Denkmalplatz

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Source

• Text: Marie-Christine Vinck
• Photos: Marie-Christine Vinck