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Klagebalken

Klagebalken is a sculpture by German artist Fritz Koenig (1924–2017) that commemorates the victims of the 1972 Munich Olympic attack. It was unveiled on 27 September 1995 in Munich’s Olympiapark. The memorial is located on the connecting path from the Olympic Stadium to the former Olympic Village, exactly where one of the support cables of the tent roof structure is anchored. The monument consists of a ten-metre-wide granite beam carried in the middle by a pedestal.

Klagebalken memorial with a long stone beam balanced on a central block outdoors.
Klagebalken, a memorial sculpture with a long stone beam resting on a central support.
July 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Klagebalken stone monument balanced horizontally on a central block in an outdoor park setting.
Klagebalken, the memorial for the victims of the 1972 Olympic attack, shown with its long stone beam supported at the center.
July 2009 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Klagebalken, a long stone monument with text, balanced on a central block in a paved park setting.
Klagebalken stands on a central support in Munich’s Olympiapark, surrounded by trees and paving.
May 2014 © · CC0
Klagebalken stone marker with engraved names and a memorial plaque with the Olympic rings.
Klagebalken memorial stone marker and plaque at the 1972 Munich Massacre Memorial.
2006 © Andreas Thum · CC BY-SA 3.0
Klagebalken memorial plaque with the Olympic rings and German inscription set into the ground.
The Klagebalken memorial plaque at the 1972 Munich Olympics memorial site.
June 2015 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleKlagebalken
Alternative titleMunich massacre memorial in Munich
Original Italian nameMonumento alle vittime dell'attentato terroristico delle olimpiadi del 1972
Typememorial sculpture

Creator

ArtistFritz Koenig (1924–2017)
Artist nationalityGerman

Historical context

Commemoratesthe victims of the 1972 Munich Olympic massacre
Created forthe victims of the 1972 Munich Olympic attack

Location and ownership

LocationOlympic Park (Olympiapark), Munich, Bavaria, Germany
Specific siteon the connecting path from the Olympic Stadium to the former Olympic Village, at the anchor point of a support cable of the tent roof structure

History and restoration

Unveiled27 September 1995

Physical characteristics

Dimensions10 meters wide
Formgranite beam
Supportresting centrally on a pedestal

Materials

Materialgranite

Appearance

Inscription language and scriptHebrew characters and Latin characters
Inscribed namesthe six Israeli athletes killed in the attack, and the Bavarian policeman who died in the failed rescue attempt