Magdeburg intends: a place for the victims of the Christmas market attack!

Magdeburg intends: a place for the victims of the Christmas market attack!

In the heart of Magdeburg, a sign of commemoration is set. The city council has decided to create a permanent memorial for the victims of the attack to the Christmas market. With this step, those responsible not only want to give those affected and their relatives, but also to the entire community a sign of memory and resilience. Borkener Zeitung reports that an open artistic ideas competition is on. All submitted drafts are incorporated into a citizen participation process so that the design of the commemoration of the community does justice to do justice. The completion is planned for the end of September 2026.

Up to this point, the Johanniskirche acts as a provisional memorial. The city council plans that two memorial places were inaugurated before the first anniversary of the attack, which took place on December 20, 2024. These include a memorial stone on Harzstraße/corner Ernst-Reuter-Allee, which is dedicated to all affected and helpers, as well as individually designed memorial stones for the fatalities.

Citizen participation and creative ideas

As part of the commemoration, the city administration will use the municipal citizen participation portal to actively involve the population in the design process. Already submitted artistic designs are also taken into account so that creative ideas can be appealed. However, it remains to be seen how the citizens' proposals are concrete.

A recently rejected proposal referred to a Christmas market on the old market, since it would have required considerable interventions in the infrastructure. The idea of ​​placing sculptures also did not exist- the planning and manufacturing effort was simply too high, as the administration reports. Instead, considering a memorial stone on Hartstrasse where the crime ended and a bank with six empty places as another symbolic monument.

memory culture and responsibility

Every memorial contributes to memory of tragic events and helps to preserve humanity. In Magdeburg, the victims of the attack are also reminded in order not to be forgotten the tragedy. An important element of the memorial places is also intended to give information about the tragedy that have happened in order to raise awareness among the population. This includes the grief and commemoration of the victims who will memorize deeply in the memory of the city. Federal Central for Political Education Important places in the context of the culture of remembrance.

The city council not only took care of the memorial, but also the regulations for the future expiry of the Christmas market. In the future, the market may be opened before the Sunday of the Dead, but it will be closed on December 20 to take the respectful commemoration of those affected into account. The administration was also commissioned to examine the possibilities of how affected stand operators can be compensated for any loss of sales that may have arisen.

The city of Magdeburg shows with this decision to have a responsibility towards the past and begins to establish a culture of commemoration that goes far beyond the pure act of memory.