Chemnitz publishes brochure: Stumbling blocks tell moving stories

Chemnitz publishes brochure: Stumbling blocks tell moving stories

Something exciting is currently happening in Chemnitz in memory of the victims of National Socialism: The city has published a new brochure about the Stolpersteine ​​project, which is available both in the town hall and online on the city website. With 16 pages of concentrated information, the brochure provides information about the work of the Stolpersteine ​​AG and presents the stories of five different groups of victims. These include Jewish families, political dissidents, people with disabilities, homosexuals and Sinti and Roma. How Chemnitz.de reported, the aim of this publication is to strengthen the culture of remembrance and to sensitize society to the persecution of these groups.

The brochure impressively illuminates the fate of persecuted people such as the Jewish Sander family, who experienced expropriation and deportation because of their furniture store on Dresden Street. The story of Willy Lesser, who was convicted of high treason in 1935 as a political dissenter, is tragic. Gerhard Rothe is also mentioned in the brochure, a euthanasia victim who fell victim to the cruel T4 campaign. The story of Adolf Wilhelmi, who was deported to the Dachau concentration camp as a homosexual in 1942, also has its place. The fate of the Sinti and Roma, represented by Hugo and Martha Hoff, rounds off the moving depiction.

What are stumbling blocks?

Stumbling stones, or as they are called in English, “stumbling stones”, are small, brass-covered memorial stones that are embedded in the sidewalk in front of the last, freely chosen place of residence of the victims. Each stone bears the name and important life dates of the victim. Since the project was initiated by the artist Gunter Demnig in 1992, over 116,000 stumbling blocks have been installed worldwide. How Destination WWII As we note, this remembrance is a form of remembrance that is intended to encourage passers-by to pause.

This decentralized memorial stone is not only a symbol of the memory of the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, but also of many other persecuted people, such as Sinti, Roma and the disabled. The numbers speak for themselves: More than 80,000 of these stones honor the memories of those persecuted in Germany alone, with over 10,000 in Berlin. The average cost of a stumbling block is between 120 and 180 euros, although donations and local fundraising activities are often used to finance it.

A call to participate

In Chemnitz, new stumbling blocks are continually being laid in order to actively shape the culture of remembrance and remembrance. The city is trying to find patients who are willing to cover the costs. Interested citizens can contact the responsible authority via email. When it comes to the discussion about stumbling blocks, opinions often differ; Some cities reject the installation, while the majority support it and often accompany it with emotional commemorative events.

As the new brochure illustrates, the Stolperstein Project is not only a form of active remembrance, but also a call to society to keep the stories of the persecuted alive. In this sense, Chemnitz shows initiative and a sense of responsibility - learning from history that resonates in the present.