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efers to people who have acted voluntarily or whether it describes involuntary,defenceless victims. In many cases the idea of a voluntary sacrifice –for the Fatherland or a political movement, for example – is only a rhetoricalfiction, but this does not make the German word any less ambiguous. Thissecond meaning of Opfer – as sacrifice – can be seen as a kind of achievementspecifically as an act of giving up or doing without. A closely relatedyet clearly distinguishable concept is that of Opfer as a kind of gift.Thus, if the planned memorial intends to honour homosexual Opfer, onemust take care to define which main or secondary meaning of the word ismeant.The Topographic EnvironmentThe construction site is located on the border of the old district of Mitte,close to central institutions of government and parliament. The location ischarged with historical and political meaning, and it bears overlappingtraces of earlier systems of government. Four large monuments in theimmediate surroundings evoke the word Opfer and its different connotationsthrough texts and motifs: The Brandenburg Gate, the Soviet War Memorial,the New Guardhouse (Neue Wache), and the Memorial to the MurderedJews of Europe.The Brandenburg GateCommissioned in 1788 to mark a victory by the Prussian Army, the BrandenburgGate explores the theme of ‘victory’ through architectural form (thetriumphal arc of antiquity), depictions of ancient deities (Victoria, Mars, Minerva),mythological scenes (Hercules’ deeds), as well as through its politicaluse as the ceremonial entry for the (triumphant) king into his city. The visualmotifs do not explicitly mention the fact that victory costs lives.