Stumbling blocks in Saarbrücken: Reminded of the victims of the Nazi regime

Stumbling blocks in Saarbrücken: Reminded of the victims of the Nazi regime

Saarbrücken laid a total of seven stumbling blocks in the districts of Alt-Saarbrücken and St. Johann. These small memorial stones are reminiscent of the detention and murder of Saarbrücken citizens by the National Socialists and the resistance to the Nazi regime. Mayor Uwe Conradt подчеркнул responsibility to preserve the memory of the victims and referred to the important role that the stumbling blocks play.

The recognized people include Irene and Leander Bernard, Ludwig, Martha and Ruth Stern as well as Wilhelm Maximilian and Elisabetha Rose. Irene and Leander Bernard were actively involved in building the "red help" and supported emigrants with money and food according to Hitler's seizure of power in 1933. Despite financial difficulties, they hid refugees in their apartment and were active in communist resistance.

commemoration of the victims

The Stern family operated a textile shop in Saarbrücken. Because of the Nazi regime, they had to leave their homes. Her son Walter emigrated to Palestine in 1936, while Ludwig and Martha had to flee to Thuringia with daughter Ruth. They were deported to the Belzyce ghetto on May 10, 1942, where their fate remains unknown.

Wilhelm Maximilian and Elisabetha Rose lost his lecturer after the connection of the Saar area to Hitler-Germany. The family initially emigrated to Strasbourg and later to Châteauroux and Larche. Elisabetha died in La Feuillade in 1941, while Wilhelm died of a heart attack in 1944

The stumbling block was relocated by employees of the Office for Road Construction and Transport Infrastructure, professionally accompanied by Dr. Hans-Christian Herrmann, the head of the city archive. These stones are rounded, square brass boards that are embedded in the sidewalk in front of the last self -chosen place of residence of the victims.

The stumbling block project

The idea for the stumbling blocks comes from the Berlin artist Gunter Demnig, who started the project in 1992. Stumbling blocks are now the largest decentralized monument in Europe and have been laid in 21 countries and in 1265 municipalities in Germany. There are around 70,000 such memorial stones worldwide that contain information about the persecuted.

The brass boards are 10 × 10 cm tall and have names, birth data and information about the persecution fates of the people. Gunter Demnig developed the art monument with the aim of preserving the individual memory of the victims and bringing their identity back into the streets and cities. However, this form of commemoration has also made critical voices loud, especially with regard to the effect and educational idea behind the stumbling blocks.

In the city council meeting on May 7, 2024, it was decided to move another 17 stumbling blocks this year. The planned dates for this are May 27th and August 27th in the districts of Bischmisheim, Brebach, Eschringen, Altenkessel and Burbach.

The institutions responsible for the memorial stones and the population in Saarbrücken agree on their endeavor to keep the memory of the dark past alive. These stumbling blocks are a memorial for those persecuted and should be considered a sign of responsibility towards history.