Memory in Nümbrecht: Six stumbling blocks for Jewish families

Memory in Nümbrecht: Six stumbling blocks for Jewish families

Marktstraße, 51588 Nümbrecht, Deutschland - Last weekend there was a moving event in Nümbrecht: the artist Gunter Demnig laid six stumbling blocks on Marktstrasse to remind of the Jewish fellow citizens who were persecuted and murdered during the Holocaust. Numerous people gathered on site to attend this act of memory. The stumbling block is not only a work of art, but also a memorial that symbolizes the last known address of the victims and thus keeps their stories alive.

The newly laid stumbling blocks are particularly reminiscent of the Goldbach and Heart families. For the Herz family, stones for Rosa Herz, born in 1879, and their children Paul and Meta Herz were laid. Their fate is tragic: On July 18, 1942, they were picked up by the Gestapo and deported to Maly Trostinec, where they were murdered on July 24th. Another stone for Werner Ludwig Herz, who fled to South Africa in 1936, is delivered.

memories of the Goldbach family

The Goldbach family, consisting of the Eugen and Sybilla couple and their son Ludwig, also died in Maly Trostinec on the same day. In his speech, Mayor Hilko Spezenius emphasized the importance of such memorial stones for the collective memory of the community. Nümbrecht has been using the tradition of commemoration with stumbling blocks since 2014. The first were moved to remember the Baer family, and the city is committed to its history and victims of National Socialism.

Gunter Demnig also gave a lecture in the Parkhotel Nümbrecht on Friday evening, in which he explained the history of the stumbling blocks. He reported on the widespread spread and the challenges with which he is confronted with over 117,000 stones. From the destruction of the stones to resistance from home owners - however, it cannot be discouraged. He particularly emphasized the importance of integrating young generations.

an art project with global importance

The stumbling blocks are now the largest Holocaust memorial in the world, which includes over 100,000 small brass and concrete markings in countries from Spain to Ukraine. They are placed at the last place of residence of the persecuted and contain information such as names as well as birth and death dates. The stumbling block foundation, which coordinates the installation, ensures that the information is verified by careful research. Members of the deceased are contacted before installation in order to maintain respect and empathy that spends this for each individual victim. In addition, the stumbling blocks as a social sculpture have promoted a network of social interactions since their introduction in the 1990s by bringing communities together and encouraging dealing with the past.

The memory of the victims of National Socialism will continue to be important in the future. Over 107,000 stones were laid in almost 1900 municipalities until August 2024, including in countries such as Austria, France, Poland and Germany. Despite some critical voices that contest the concept, the project remains unbroken. In Munich, for example, there is a ban on the installation of stumbling blocks, which shows that the discussion about the form of commemoration is far from complete.

The video recordings of the stumbling block in Nümbrecht should also be sent to the descendants of the Heart and Baer families in Florida in order to preserve the memories and enable further back connections. The stumbling blocks are in Nümbrecht and also a sign of commemoration - a small stone with a big story.