Editing Erwin Rommel (section)

== Commemoration ==
[[File:Heidenheim-Feldmarschall-Rommel-Denkmal-08.jpg|thumb|Memorial to Erwin Rommel in [[Heidenheim an der Brenz|Heidenheim]], Germany]]
{{Further|Erwin Rommel and the Bundeswehr}}
The German Army's largest base, the [[Field Marshal Rommel Barracks, Augustdorf]], is named in his honour; at the dedication in 1961, his widow Lucie and son Manfred Rommel were guests of honour.<ref name="Walter">Uwe Walter, ''Die Strukturen und Verbände des deutschen Heeres'', vol. 1, 2017</ref> The [[Rommel Barracks, Dornstadt]], was also named for him in 1965.<ref name="Walter" /> A third base named for him, the [[Field Marshal Rommel Barracks, Osterode]], closed in 2004. The {{ship|German destroyer|Rommel}} was named for him in 1969 and christened by his widow; the ship was decommissioned in 1998.<ref>Wolfgang Harnack: ''Die Zerstörerflottille der Deutschen Marine von 1958 bis heute''. Koehlers Verlagsgesellschaft, Hamburg 2001, {{ISBN|3-7822-0816-1}}</ref>

The Rommel Memorial was erected in Heidenheim in 1961. In 2020, a sculpture of a landmine victim was placed next to the Rommel Memorial in Heidenheim. The city mayor Bernhard Ilg comments that, regarding "the great son of Heidenheim", "there are many opinions".<ref>{{cite news |last1=Henzler |first1=Claudia |title=Auf Rommels Denkmal fällt nun ein Schatten |url=https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/rommel-denkmal-heidenheim-skulptur-minen-1.4976941 |access-date=3 May 2021 |agency=Süddeutsche Zeitung |date=23 July 2020 |archive-date=28 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210528195702/https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/rommel-denkmal-heidenheim-skulptur-minen-1.4976941 |url-status=live }}</ref> Heidenheim eventually dedicated the Memorial towards a stand against war, militarism and extremism, stating that when the memorial was erected in 1961, statements were added that now are not compatible with modern knowledge about Rommel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.rommel-denkmal.de/en/index.php#intro-anchor|title=Erwin Rommel Monument|access-date=21 September 2021|archive-date=4 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210904125649/https://www.rommel-denkmal.de/en/index.php#intro-anchor|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Deutsche Welle]] noted that the 17 million mines the British, Italian, and German armies left continue to claim lives to this day.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Deutsche Welle |title=Germany: Amputee statue added to Erwin Rommel monument in his hometown |url=https://www.dw.com/en/germany-amputee-statue-added-to-erwin-rommel-monument-in-his-hometown/a-54300881 |access-date=3 May 2021 |agency=Deutsche Welle |date=23 July 2020 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503100236/https://www.dw.com/en/germany-amputee-statue-added-to-erwin-rommel-monument-in-his-hometown/a-54300881 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Aalen, after a discussion on renaming a street named after him, a new place of commemoration was created, where [[Stele|stelae]] with information on the lives of Rommel and three opponents of the regime ([[Eugen Bolz]], [[Friedrich Schwarz]] and Karl Mikeller) stand together (Rommel's stele is dark blue and rusty red while the others are light-coloured). The History Association of Aalen, together with an independent commission of historians from Düsseldorf, welcomes the keeping of the street's name and notes that Rommel was neither a war criminal nor a resistance fighter, but a perpetrator and victim at the same time – he willingly served as figurehead for the regime, then lately recognised his mistake and paid for that with his life. An education program named "Erwin Rommel and Aalen" for schoolchildren in Aalen is also established.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Stadt Aalen |title=Geschichtsverein möchte an Erwin Rommel erinnern |url=https://www.aalen.de/geschichtsverein-moechte-an-erwin-rommel-erinnern.148442.25.htm |access-date=3 May 2021 |agency=Stadt Aalen |date=25 February 2020 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503100245/https://www.aalen.de/geschichtsverein-moechte-an-erwin-rommel-erinnern.148442.25.htm |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Scheiderer |first1=Eckard |title=Zeitgeschichte in Glanz und Rost – Stele erinnert auch an Erwin Rommel |url=https://www.schwaebische.de/landkreis/ostalbkreis/aalen_artikel,-zeitgeschichte-in-glanz-und-rost-stele-erinnert-auch-an-erwin-rommel-_arid,11355128.html |access-date=3 May 2021 |agency=Schwäbische Zeitung |date=22 April 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503100237/https://www.schwaebische.de/landkreis/ostalbkreis/aalen_artikel,-zeitgeschichte-in-glanz-und-rost-stele-erinnert-auch-an-erwin-rommel-_arid,11355128.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In 2021, the Student Council of the [[University of Erlangen–Nuremberg|Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU)]] decided to change the name of their Süd-Campus (South Campus, Erlangen) into Rommel-Campus, emphasising that the city of Erlangen stands behind the name and the university needs to do the same.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Studierendenvertretung der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg |title=Positionspapier des Studentischen Konvents 26. Februar 2021 |url=https://wiki.stuve.fau.de/_media/uniweit:gremien:konvent:s_d_campus_in_rommel_campus_umbenennen.pdf |website=Stuve, Studierendenvertretung der Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg |access-date=3 May 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503100237/https://wiki.stuve.fau.de/_media/uniweit:gremien:konvent:s_d_campus_in_rommel_campus_umbenennen.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> The university's branch of the [[Education and Science Workers' Union (Germany)|Education and Science Workers' Union (GEW)]] describes the decision as problematic considering Rommel's history of supporting the Nazi regime militarily and propagandistically.<ref>{{cite web |last1=GEW-Hochschulgruppe an der FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg |title=Noch unproblematischer als Brose: Hitlers Lieblingsgeneral Rommel als Namenspate für den Campus Süd! |url=https://www.gew-bayern.de/aktuelles/detailseite/neuigkeiten/noch-unproblematischer-als-brose-hitlers-lieblingsgeneral-rommel-als-namenspate-fuer-den-campus-sued/ |website=GEW Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft |date=11 March 2021 |publisher=Gewerkschaft Erziehung und Wissenschaft |access-date=3 May 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503100236/https://www.gew-bayern.de/aktuelles/detailseite/neuigkeiten/noch-unproblematischer-als-brose-hitlers-lieblingsgeneral-rommel-als-namenspate-fuer-den-campus-sued/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

Numerous streets in Germany, especially in Rommel's home state of [[Baden-Württemberg]], are named in his honour, including the street near where his last home was located. The [[Rommel Museum, Blaustein|Rommel Museum]] opened in 1989 in the Villa Lindenhof in Herrlingen.<ref>''Museen in Baden-Württemberg'', Landesstelle für Museumsbetreuung Baden-Württemberg and Museumsverband Baden-Württemberg 2013, 7th ed., Konrad Theiss Verlag Stuttgart, p. 70</ref> The museum now operates under the name Museum Lebenslinien (Lifelines Museum), which presents the lives of Rommel and other notable residents of Herrlingen, including the poet [[Gertrud Kantorowicz]] (whose collection is presented together with the Rommel Archive inside a building on a road named after Rommel), the educators [[Anna Essinger]] and [[Hugo Rosenthal]].<ref>{{cite web |last1=Villa Lindenhof Blaustein |title=LEBENSLINIEN Historische Persönlichkeiten in Herrlingen |url=https://villa-lindenhof-blaustein.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Flyer_LEBENSLINIEN.pdf |website=Villa Lindenhof Blaustein |access-date=3 May 2021 |archive-date=3 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210503100237/https://villa-lindenhof-blaustein.de/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Flyer_LEBENSLINIEN.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> There is also a [[Rommel Museum, Mersa Matruh|Rommel Museum]] in [[Mersa Matruh]] in [[Egypt]] which opened in 1977, and which is located in one of Rommel's former headquarters; various other localities and establishments in Mersa Matruh, including Rommel Beach, are also named for Rommel.<ref>Michael Haag, ''Egypt'', p. 394, New Holland, 2004, {{ISBN|978-1-86011-163-1}}</ref> The reason for the naming is that he respected the Bedouins' traditions and the sanctity of their homes (he always kept his troops at least 2 kilometres from their houses) and refused to poison the wells against the Allies, fearing doing so would harm the population.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Samir |first1=Salwa |title=Egypt revamps cave museum devoted to Nazi general |url=https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/fr/contents/articles/originals/2017/08/egypt-reopens-rommel-cave-museum.html |agency=Al-Monitor |date=2 September 2017 |archive-date=8 March 2021 |access-date=1 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308004320/https://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/fr/contents/articles/originals/2017/08/egypt-reopens-rommel-cave-museum.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

In Italy, the annual marathon tour "Rommel Trail", which is sponsored by the [[Protezione Civile]] and the autonomous region of [[Friuli-Venezia Giulia]] through its tourism agency, celebrates Rommel and the [[Battle of Caporetto]]. The naming and sponsoring (at that time by the centre-left PD) was criticised by the politician [[Giuseppe Civati]] in 2017.<ref>{{cite web|last1=ERT – Erwin Rommel Trail|title=History|url=http://www.rommeltrail.it/en/history/|website=rommeltrail.it|access-date=8 October 2017|archive-date=9 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171009041524/http://www.rommeltrail.it/en/history/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Consiglio Regionale Friuli Venezia Giulia – Gruppo Partito Democratico|title=Corsa Rommel Trail: Boem (Pd), Civati solleva caso per gusto polemica|url=http://www.gruppopd.fvg.it/news-dettaglio.php?id=1049|agency=Consiglio Regionale Friuli Venezia Giulia – Gruppo Partito Democratico|date=3 October 2017|access-date=8 October 2017|archive-date=28 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210228042713/http://www.gruppopd.fvg.it/news-dettaglio.php?id=1049|url-status=dead}}</ref>