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Since I became Director of Haus der Kunst in 2011, I have learned that any discussion of the architectural heritage of the Third Reich in Germany leaves no doubt as to the effects of the prickly material of Nazi history: what it does to memory; the feelings of uneasiness; the wounding of conscience; the quickening of emotions. The current debate surrounding the proposed renovation plans of Haus der Kunst by David Chipperfield has kindled such reactions by those who perceive in the building's implacable façade a stone gorgon waiting to devour the memories of its Nazi past. In the ensuing debate about the merits of Chipperfield’s highly sensitive, restrained, and intelligent renovation concept a sense of ahistorical confusion reigns; facts are elided, while projections and fantasies become elevated into architectural discourse.