Gunter Demnig puts new stumbling blocks in Rees - keep memory awake!

Gunter Demnig puts new stumbling blocks in Rees - keep memory awake!

On January 27, 2025, the city of Rees will come together at 9 a.m. in the foyer of the community center for a significant memory act. On this day, 14 new stumbling blocks will be laid at four locations in downtown Rees. This laying is another chapter in the project of the artist Gunter Demnig that started in 1992. Demig has set a total of over 113,000 stumbling blocks in 32 countries since 1996. Stumbling blocks are the largest decentralized memorial to memory of the victims of the Nazi government.

The stumbling blocks, small, square plaques made of brass, are embedded in front of the last freely chosen residential buildings of the Nazi victims. This artist assembly pursues the goal of commemorating people who were pursued, murdered, deported or driven out during the National Socialist rule. In Rees, 34 stumbling blocks were already laid in 2009, which made the city the first municipality in the district of Kleve.

Details for laying

At the ceremony, the new stumbling blocks are laid by Gunter Demnig in the presence of the victims' descendants. Among the 14 new stones, eleven are placed in memory of Jewish people who could escape death by fleeing. Another three stones are renewed due to new historical findings. The event is supported by Mayor Sebastian Hense and VVV chairman Bernd Hübner, while Bernd Schäfer acts as the initiator of the campaign. The traffic and embellishment association Rees assumes the costs of the relocation, and the technical support takes place by the Reeser History Association Ressa.

The stumbling blocks, which are labeled with hammer and striking letters, bear the inscription "Lived here" followed by names and life data of the victims. This personal note is intended to connect between the passers -by and the victims and stimulate it to deal with the story. The initiatives for researching the life stories of the former residents are often worn by citizens, which makes the project a participatory act of memory of cultural importance.

background and meaning of the stumbling blocks

Overall, stumbling blocks are not only a structure of memory work in Germany, but have also developed into a European network of commemorative and memory culture. The memorial stones are represented in over 31 European countries and are considered the largest decentralized memorial worldwide. Despite the broad sores, there are also critical voices, such as Charlotte Knobloch, which considers the design inappropriate because they are embedded in the ground.

The laying and maintenance of the stumbling blocks is carried out by private donations and local initiatives that take care of cleaning and maintaining the plaques. This active citizen participation is central to the effectiveness of the project, which has also increasingly received an international attention in recent years.

The stumbling blocks in Rees are therefore more than just memorabilia; They promote a dialogue about the past, confront society with its history and ask for active examination of the Holocaust and the crimes of National Socialism. Lokalklick reports that the laying should create a strong emotional connection to the victims, the stories behind the stumbling blocks and their importance for the following generations be documented.