Werdau sets a moving example for the Ringer family with stumbling blocks

Werdau sets a moving example for the Ringer family with stumbling blocks

This Wednesday was a day for pause in Werdau, as four stumbling blocks were laid on the Werdau market - an honorable gesture for the Ringer family, who had to suffer terrible fates in the darkest time in German history. The stones that were glued directly in front of the family's former home are not only simply beautiful memorial plaques, but also an impressive symbol against forgetting. Radio Zwickau reports that in 1938 Martha, Ruth, Hans and Bernhard Ringer were deported by the National Socialists to the concentration camp, where Hans was murdered in Auschwitz and Bernhard in Buchenwald. Martha and Ruth, on the other hand, survived by emigrating to Brazil.

This story was researched with great commitment by Jens Kunze, the initiator of the project. He was supported by students from the Werdauer Humboldt-Gymnasium, who had the same idea in their ethics class and thus supported the commemoration together. A touching detail of the transfer was the presence of two of the Ringers' descendants, Marjorie Mühleise Danzer and her sister Monica, who experienced the emotional moment as particularly moving because they had known their great-grandma Martha personally.

What are stumbling blocks?

The stumbling blocks themselves are 10 cm large concrete cubes with brass plates on which the names and dates of life of the victims are recorded. Wikipedia describes that the project was launched in 1992 by German artist Gunter Demnig to mark the last places of residence of the victims before they fell victim to Nazi terror. By June 2023, over 100,000 stumbling blocks had already been laid, making the project the largest decentralized monument in the world. Many of these stones commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust, but also a variety of other groups who suffered under the regime, including Sinti, Roma, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses and many more.

If you ever stumble across a stumbling block, remember: these small, inconspicuous slabs are much more than just memorial plaques. They are embedded in the sidewalks in order to be discovered by chance and to integrate the victims' memory into everyday life. This is the meaning behind Gunter Demnig’s work, considered by many to be the “largest decentralized work of art in the world.” He sees the stumbling blocks as a form of honor and remembrance, while critics express concerns that the stones cannot do justice to the victims by stepping on them.

A remembrance process for everyone

The laying of the stumbling blocks goes hand in hand with memorial events in which interested citizens and descendants of the victims take part. The project creates a direct connection to the historical events and enables many to re-establish a personal connection with the victims Deutschland.de highlights. There are already over 1,200 locations in Germany and many other European countries that reflect the spirit of this project.

The emotional resonance that stumbling blocks evoke is undeniable. Many people are deeply touched when they see the stones. They represent the people who were once neighbors and whose lives ended tragically. A process of remembrance that is of great importance for our society so that we learn from the past and do not forget the lessons for the future.