20 years of Stolpersteine Frankfurt: a culture of remembrance more relevant than ever
The first Stolpersteine (Stumbling Stones) were laid in Frankfurt 20 years ago. The Historical Museum looks back on their history – also against the backdrop of Hamas’ attack on Israel.
In many German cities, but also in the Netherlands, Switzerland and Italy, they are now part of the cityscape: Stolpersteine. The ten by ten centimeter brass plaques are individual parts of the largest decentralized memorial in the world and commemorate the victims of Nazi crimes. They have now been in place in Frankfurt for two decades – and are thus celebrating a significant anniversary for the culture of remembrance, but also a highly topical one.
Historical Museum and Frankfurt Stumbling Stones Initiative look back on 20 years of Stumbling Stones
To mark the occasion, the Historical Museum and the Frankfurt Stumbling Stones Initiative are organizing a public event on 30 November entitled “Art and Remembrance – 20 Years of Stumbling Stones in Frankfurt am Main, 23 Years of the Library of Generations“. From 6.30 pm, DW Dreyse and Martin Dill will look back on 20 years of work by the initiative, of which they themselves are members. Afterwards, they will discuss the interplay between art, civic culture of remembrance and the city’s historical memory with various participants.
Also invited are the artist and inventor of the Stumbling Stones Gunter Demnig, memory researcher Astrid Erll, museum director Jan Gerchow and Annika Wagner, also from the Frankfurt Stumbling Stones Initiative. Angela Janelli from the Historical Museum will host the evening and the welcoming address will be given by Ina Hartwig (SPD), Head of the Department of Culture. The event will take place in the Sonnemannsaal of the Historical Museum. Admission is free, but registration by email to besucherservice@historisches-museum-frankfurt.de is recommended.
The event will also make reference to recent anti-Semitic events such as the Hamas attack or anti-Jewish slogans in Germany and France. The initiative emphasizes how important it is to actively remember the crimes of the Nazi era. “That is why the Frankfurt Stumbling Stones Initiative will continue its work in the coming years”, it says in a statement.
Almost 2000 Stolpersteine in 34 districts of Frankfurt
The first Stolpersteine were laid by Gunter Demnig on November 11, 2003 at Oberweg 4 in memory of Karl, Klara and Günter Kaufmann, who were murdered in Auschwitz. The idea for the initiative came from citizens from the Nordend citizens’ initiative. Later, more and more people from Frankfurt joined in to lay Stolpersteine in other parts of the city.
Since then, the Frankfurt Stumbling Stones Initiative has been researching and documenting the victims’ stories of persecution and contacting family members and descendants. In Frankfurt, this work is carried out exclusively on a voluntary basis and is financed by donations. So-called cleaning sponsors take care of the regular maintenance of the small memorials. Almost 2000 Stolpersteine in 34 Frankfurt districts now commemorate the fates of the victims – new ones were last laid in September and August.
Since the work began, many hundreds of relatives, descendants and friends of the victims of National Socialism have come to the laying ceremonies – from almost everywhere. Many came to Frankfurt for the first time from countries such as the USA, Great Britain, Israel, South Africa, Argentina and other European countries.
