The German Girl Shrine honours the memory of a German girl who lived with her family on Pulau Ubin at the outbreak of World War I. As a result of the war, German nationals were subject to internment as hostile enemy aliens by the colonial British government. The girl is said to have died via an accidental fall into a granite quarry while fleeing internment one night in August 1914 by the British authorities.
The German Girl Shrine became more widely known in Singapore after rumours spread about people winning the lottery after praying there. In 1974, the management of Aik Hwa Quarry needed to evacuate the site where her tomb laid. The quarry owner relocated the remains to its present site together with an altar. In 1993, it was discovered that someone had stolen the urn and its contents for their intrinsic value and replaced them with another vase. The shrine has been reconstructed in recent years.
German Girl Shrine Altar Contents
What distinguishes the German Girl Shrine's altar from other temple altars is the abundance of ladies accessories provided as offerings. Apart from the urn at the altar's centre, the altar table is also lined with an array of idols from Tua Pek Kong to the Goddess of Mercy to the Monkey God.
German Girl Shrine Today
The German Girl Shrine is also known as "Na Du Gu Niang". It is located adjacent to the former Aik Hwa (Ketam) Granite Quarry and has seen reconstruction in recent years.
