Violent Sculpture
This was taken in Yorckstrasse, Berlin, where, in the space of about 100 yards, about a dozen railway bridges carry railway tracks across the road - almost forming a tunnel. Some of the tracks are still used heavily today by the local trains and the main lines from Berlin to the South.
Almost exactly 80 years ago, in late April 1945, Yorckstrasse was the scene of a savage battle as the Red Army tanks and infantry fought hard to dislodge German defenders, who were using the bridges and pillars as cover in a major defensive position. Today the steel pillar in the photo bears witness to the heat and violence of that battle, but still does its job of holding up the bridge, albeit for one of the disused tracks.
The fading white paint is also a silent witness of the war. Headlights for vehicles were banned, or at least reduced to thin strips of light, by the Black-Out laws of the time to make it harder for enemy bombers to locate cities and targets. (This was the case in Britain too, not just Germany.) The pillars were painted white to help drivers see them in the darkness.