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Commemoration in Chemnitz: Stumbling blocks shine after cleaning on November 9th!
On November 9, 2025, Chemnitz will commemorate the victims of the Kristallnacht pogrom at Stolpersteinen with a cleaning campaign and a reading.
Commemoration in Chemnitz: Stumbling blocks shine after cleaning on November 9th!
A special day of remembrance for the victims of the Kristallnacht pogrom will be celebrated in Chemnitz on November 9, 2025. On this day, the 360 stumbling blocks in the city, which commemorate the last places of work or residence of the victims of National Socialism, are cleaned and honored. The campaign is called “Lights Paths” and is initiated by the Buntmacher:innen. Over 100 supporters from the public, including sponsors of Stolpersteinen, clubs and institutions, take part in this important commemoration to clean the stones and set up candles.
Stolpersteine are not only cubes made of concrete, but also bear brass plates with the names and dates of life of the victims of National Socialist persecution. Gunter Demnig, the initiator of this project, began laying them in 1992 and has now installed over 100,000 stumbling blocks in various locations around the world to keep the memory of those persecuted alive. This makes the project the largest decentralized monument in the world. The stones are embedded flush in the sidewalk and encourage passers-by to think about the history of their former neighbors. After all, they are not only a homage to Jewish victims, but also to Sinti and Roma, homosexuals, political dissidents and other people who were persecuted by the National Socialists, as deutschland.de describes.
Public event in Chemnitz
To mark the commemoration, a musical reading will take place on the same day at 7 p.m. in the Hartmannfabrik at Fabrikstrasse 11. This event, organized by AG Stolpersteine and the Buntmacher:innen, is dedicated to the November pogroms of 1938 and is carried out by Johannes Göbel and Martin Mock. Poems by the poet Erich Kästner as well as diary notes set to music are selected to recall the terrible events of that time.
The exact locations of the stumbling blocks can be found on the city website www.chemnitz.de/stolpersteine. Those interested are encouraged to take part in the cleaning campaign or attend the event. Photos of the actions will be shared on social media by the city of Chemnitz and the Buntmacher:innen under the hashtag #lichterwege in order to create further awareness of the work of remembrance.
The significance of the stumbling blocks and the commitment of the citizens are manifested in this memorial campaign, which creates historical awareness far beyond Chemnitz. It is clear that remembering the victims of National Socialist persecution and active remembrance are still important today. Because as Gunter Demnig says, “there is an enormous emotional impact” when looking at these memorial stones and we are all invited to give this work of remembrance a place in our cityscape and hearts.
For anyone who would like to find out more about the stumbling blocks and the topics associated with them, further information can be found on the website www.chemnitz.de/gedenken9november.