die  Gedenktafel

C1

Estimated CEFR level.

/ɡəˈdɛŋktaːfl̩/

🏛️ What exactly is a Gedenktafel?

Die Gedenktafel is a plaque, usually made of stone, metal, or another durable material, which is placed at a location to commemorate an important person, a significant event, or a historical site.

It serves the purpose of honorable remembrance and public information. You often find them on buildings, monuments, or at places of historical relevance.

There is only one article: die Gedenktafel. It is always feminine.

🧐 Grammar: Declension of die Gedenktafel

The word "Gedenktafel" is a feminine noun. The article is always "die".

Declension:

Example Sentences:

• An dem Haus wurde eine Gedenktafel für den berühmten Schriftsteller angebracht.
  (A memorial plaque for the famous writer was attached to the house.)
• Wir standen vor der Gedenktafel und lasen die Inschrift.
  (We stood in front of the memorial plaque and read the inscription.)
• Die Stadt pflegt alle Gedenktafeln regelmäßig.
  (The city maintains all the memorial plaques regularly.)

📌 When and where are Gedenktafeln used?

Gedenktafeln are used to:

• Commemorate important personalities (e.g., birthplaces or residences).
• Remember or warn about historical events (e.g., sites of battles, political events, disasters).
• Point out special places (e.g., former synagogues, important meeting places).

They are part of a society's culture of remembrance (Erinnerungskultur) and shape public awareness of history. Unlike a Denkmal (monument), which is often free-standing and larger, the Gedenktafel is usually flat and attached to a wall.

🧠 Mnemonics and Memory Aids

Article Mnemonic: Think of "die Tafel" (like a blackboard). Many flat, board-like things in German are feminine ('die'). Since a Gedenktafel is a type of Tafel, it's also die. Or link it to 'die' Erinnerung (the memory/remembrance), which is also feminine.

Meaning Mnemonic: Break it down: Gedenken (remembrance, commemoration) + Tafel (plaque, tablet). So, it's literally a 'remembrance plaque'.

↔️ Synonyms and Related Terms for Gedenktafel

Direct antonyms are rare as it describes a concrete object. The opposite concept might be forgetting, oblivion, or a deliberate omission of remembrance.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum hat die Gedenktafel nie Streit?

Weil sie immer an der Wand hängt und alles auf sich beruhen lässt!

(Why does the memorial plaque never argue? Because it always hangs on the wall and lets everything rest!)

📜 A Little Poem

An Mauern alt, in Stein gemeißelt klar,
Die Gedenktafel, stumme Zeugin, Jahr für Jahr.
Sie spricht von Taten, Namen, längst vergang'ner Zeit,
Hält fest die Spur, was war, in Ewigkeit.
Ein Ort des Sinnens, stiller Blick zurück,
Ein kleines Fenster in ein großes Stück.

(On walls of old, in stone engraved so clear,
The memorial plaque, silent witness, year by year.
It speaks of deeds, of names, of times long past away,
Holds fast the trace of what once was, for aye.
A place for thought, a quiet backward gaze,
A little window into history's maze.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich hänge an der Wand, doch bin kein Bild.
Ich spreche von Geschichte, oft ganz wild.
Ich ehre Menschen oder einen Ort,
Trage Namen, Daten, manches mahnend Wort.

Was bin ich?

(I hang on the wall, but I'm not a picture.
I speak of history, sometimes quite wild.
I honor people or a place,
Carry names, dates, sometimes a warning word.

What am I?)

Solution: die Gedenktafel (the memorial plaque)

💡 Other Information

Word Composition:

The word "Gedenktafel" is a compound noun, composed of:

• das Gedenken: The remembrance, commemoration, memory.
• die Tafel: The tablet, plaque, board.

Together, it literally means a 'tablet for remembrance'.

Cultural Significance:

Memorial plaques (Gedenktafeln) are important elements of public remembrance culture (Erinnerungskultur). The decision about who or what event gets a plaque can sometimes lead to discussions, as it reflects what a society deems worthy of remembering.