Stumbling stones bring the fates of former Chemnitz residents into focus
As of today, a further 18 stumbling blocks commemorate citizens of the city murdered by the Nazis - the project initiator Gunter Demnig laid them. Chemnitz schoolchildren and teachers, citizens of the city and descendants of the victims
Over 50 pupils and teachers from the Dr.Wilhelm-André-Gymnasium gathered today at 9 a.m. at Henriettenstraße 50, the last place of residence of the Kupferberg family: As sponsors of the Stumbling Stones in memory of Heinrich Kupferberg (1882-1942), his wife Frieda Kupferberg (1882-1942) and their daughter Ilse-Lotte Kupferberg (1926-1942), they joined numerous citizens in remembering the tragic fate of the family, who were deported to the ghetto on 10 May 1942. They were deported to the Belzyce ghetto near Lublin on 10 May 1942 and murdered there. Just a few hundred metres away, in today's Dr Wilhelm André Grammar School, the then 15-year-old Ilse-Lotte Kupferberg was a pupil. The pupils released white balloons into the air to mark the dedication of the Stolperstein directly in front of the entrance to the school building.
"These memorial stones are intended to inspire thoughtful stumbling in the sense of pausing to reflect," explained Mayor of Culture Philipp Rochold. The project contributes to "making today's and future generations aware of the citizens of our city who were persecuted and murdered during the period of National Socialist rule in Germany." In the presence of project initiator and artist Gunter Demnig, he recognised the broad support that the project has received in Chemnitz since 2007 from numerous institutions, associations and interested citizens.
A total of 81 Stumbling Stones have been laid in the city today in memory of former citizens of Chemnitz.
"Here lived / worked ..." - 18 new Stolpersteine with this inscription were laid today at eleven locations in Chemnitz. The dates of life engraved on small brass plates provide information about former residents of Chemnitz who lived among us but became victims of National Socialist despotism due to their origin, religion or political views. Among them were respected entrepreneurs, such as Leopold Steinhardt (1883-1939), owner of a jersey factory in Chemnitz. Together with his son Hans Adolf Steinhardt (1923-1939), he lost his life in the shipwreck when the Dutch passenger steamer "Simon Bolivar" ran into a German minefield off the coast of England. The sponsor of these stumbling stones at Hoffmannstraße 45 is Hans-Joachim Wunderlich, Managing Director of the Chemnitz Chamber of Industry and Commerce.
This is the second time that pupils and teachers from Georgius Agricola Grammar School have been involved as sponsors. Thanks to their sponsorship, the fate of Julius Sommerfeld (1878-1940), owner of a cloth wholesale business and landlord, will remain unforgotten. He was taken into "protective custody" in 1939 and deported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. He was murdered there on 16 March 1940.
Family members from London took over the sponsorship of the Stolpersteine in honour of the Nachmann family. Sigismund Nachmann (1907-1942), his wife Bajla Ides Nachmann (1908-1942) and their children Ingrid Nachmann (1931-1942), Joachim Nachmann (1934-1942) and Manfred Gerhard Nachmann (1934-1942) were deported to Poland during the "Polenaktion" at the end of October 1938 and murdered there in 1942.
David and Juliette Mendelovits from Australia honour their grandfather Bruno Heidenheim (1885-1940) by sponsoring the memorial stone at Reichsstraße 15. He fell fatally ill due to heavy physical forced labour and died on 24 December 1940. His wife and daughter survived and emigrated to Australia after the end of the war.
Further Stolpersteine were laid in memory of:
Dr Ernst Cohn (1901-1944), Moritz Mecklenburg (1880-1945), Georg Landgraf (1885-1933), Ernst Enge (1893- 944), Karla Jäcker (1928-1941) - for detailed information, please refer to press release 605 dated 18/09/2013 (www.chemnitz.de).
Information on the internet: All information on the subject of stumbling blocks in Chemnitz can be found on the city's website at www.chemnitz.de/stolpersteine
Information on the project:
The Cologne sculptor Gunter Demnig initiated the "Stumbling Stones" project in 1993.
It honours citizens who were expelled, deported, murdered or driven to suicide during the National Socialist regime.
The Stumbling Stones are set in the pavement at the last place where the victims lived or worked, and small brass plaques on the stones provide information about the most important dates in their lives. There are now over 40,000 Stolpersteine in Germany and 15 other European countries.
In Chemnitz, the first Stolpersteine were laid on 6 July 2007. Since then, further memorial stones have been added every year. The suggestion was made by the Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime / League of Anti-Fascists, Chemnitz City Association, which received support from the city administration and the city council. As the sponsor of the project, the association is responsible for the content of the work, is the point of contact for suggestions of people to be honoured and looks after the sponsors. The City of Chemnitz supports the organisational preparation and implementation of the laying of the Stumbling Stones with a project group.