自從在第二次世界大戰(zhàn)中遭到英國的突襲轟炸之后,威廉皇帝紀(jì)念教堂所剩就只有一個被毀壞的鐘塔了。
Built in 1895, the tower has remained a poignant reminder of the horrors of war, as well asbeing a symbol of West Berlin's determination and extraordinary post-war recovery. Butnow the gaunt and jagged tower is making news of another kind: Traffic vibration has causedits walls to crumble, with chunks threatening to fall off onto pedestrians below.
威廉皇帝紀(jì)念教堂的鐘塔始建于1895年,如今提醒著人們莫要忘了戰(zhàn)爭的殘酷和恐怖。同時,它也象征著西柏林的決心和德意志民族偉大的戰(zhàn)后復(fù)興。但如今,這座破舊不堪的鐘塔還傳達(dá)了異樣的信息:往來車輛引起的震動使它的墻壁搖搖欲墜,墻壁的大塊剝落甚至還危及到了下面行人的安全。
Earlier the church authorities put the cost of repairing its neo-Gothic facade at 3.5 millioneuros (US$5.1 million), but now due to continuing disintegration the cost has soared to 4.1million euros.
早些時候,教會權(quán)力機(jī)關(guān)把這座鐘塔的新哥特式的正面的修復(fù)成本定在350萬歐元(510萬美元)。但現(xiàn)在,鑒于這座鐘塔的持續(xù)解體,修復(fù)成本已飆升至410萬歐元。
Charles Jeffrey Gray, 85, a former British pilot who carried out bombing raids over Germany,was one of the first to call for the rescue of Berlin's most famous wartime ruin, contributingUS$930 to help spur the campaign. Since then donations have flooded in, with the Berlin citygovernment pledging 1.5 million euros to the repair fund.
85歲的查爾斯•杰弗里•格雷是當(dāng)初轟炸德國的英國前飛行員之一。他是最早號召人們修復(fù)柏林這個最有名的戰(zhàn)爭廢墟的人中的一員。為了推動這項修復(fù)運(yùn)動的開展,他捐獻(xiàn)了930美元。隨著捐款越來越多,柏林市政府投入了150萬歐元的修繕資金。
Gray's last bombing raid over Berlin was in February 1944. Around that time 500 to 700 planeswere involved in raids over Germany, a reprisal for earlier nightly operations over London byGerman bombers.
格雷對柏林的最后一次轟炸是在1944年的2月。當(dāng)時大約有500至700架飛機(jī)參與了對德國的襲擊,以報復(fù)之前德國轟炸機(jī)對倫敦的夜間轟炸。
"The tower must remain as a reminder for future generations of the horror of war," Gray said.
“這座鐘塔必須保存下來,警示后人不要忘了戰(zhàn)爭的恐怖。”格雷這樣說。