Wax Villain
July 25, 2008
The recent opening of a Madame Tussauds wax museum in Berlin made headlines after a man ripped off the head from a Hitler figure on display. But the controversy over exhibiting the Nazi dictator might end up paling in comparison to the diplomatic row another decision by the museum's officials has created.
They've included former Bavarian Premier Franz Josef Strauss in a section entitled "Villains and Heroes" -- with Strauss apparently counted towards the former.
"Political scandal" is the headline above Strauss' picture, which forms part of a collage that also includes Guenter Guillaume, an East German spy, who worked for West German Chancellor Willy Brandt and was the main reason for the latter's resignation.
"This is like placing a pile of dog poop next to the Zugspitze," said Strauss' son, Georg, referring to Germany's tallest mountain, which stands in Bavaria.
Lese-majeste
Now, even Strauss' successor, former Bavarian Premier Edmund Stoiber, has admitted that the legendary leader wasn't loved by everyone.
"There was either ardent approval or very cold rejection," Stoiber said at the opening of an exhibition at the Bavarian House in Berlin to commemorate the 20th anniversary of Strauss' death.
But the wax museum's decision to group him with villains was too much to handle for members of Bavaria's Christian Social Union, which has practically ruled the southern state for the past 60 years.
Lasting damage?
The Bavarian minister responsible for Europe, Markus Soeder, has called on German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier to do something to prevent lasting damage to Bavarian-British relations.
"He needs to go to London," said Soeder, who proudly tells people that he had a giant poster of Strauss in his bedroom as a teenager. "This is a big scandal. It's the attempt to provoke with an exhibition."
Madame Tussauds officials reject the allegation.
"It's up to the visitor to decide whether he's a hero or a villain," the museum's spokeswoman, Natalie Ruoss, told reporters. She added that there were no plans to change the exhibit since no one had personally complained to the museum.