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| University refuses to remove swastika from entrance
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MUNICH (EJP)--- A university refusing to remove a Nazi swastika symbol from its entrance hall has sparked irritation in Germany.
The Munich botanic faculty has a large black swastika, a symbol used by the Nazis, in the form of a tile mosaic on the floor of its entrance hall.
But university officials claim that the symbol does not refer to Nazism but rather to its original meaning as an ancient Indian symbol of the Sun.
Botanic professor Susanne Renner said: "The swastika in our house has nothing to do with the Nazis."
Professor Renner says that the ritual sign of the swastika, the ’sun wheel’, is common in many old cultures and that the Sanskrit word for swastika means lucky charm and is also a symbol of fertility.
Foreign guests, students and scientists have been irritated by the symbol in the entrance hall of the university. The mosaic has some colour irregularities, which give some visitors the impression that a decorative pattern was later manipulated to form a swastika.
But actually, the botanic faculty building was built in 1910 by Ludwig von Stempel und Ludwig Ullmann, and the swastika was installed as a centre piece.
The swastika became popular in European architecture in the late 19th century as a symbol of good luck and auspiciousness before being adopted by the Nazis.
Professor Renner has so far rejected calls for the removal of the controversial symbol and instead has offered to put up a plaque explaining its religious background.
Using the swastika to promote Nazism is illegal in Germany, but a number of older examples of the symbol, on graves and other monuments, can be found around the country, despite protests.
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