On May 28, 2004, the first “Stolpersteine” (stumbling blocks) were installed in front of the building at Klemens Horn Strasse 6. Here, the artist Gunter Demnig laid three stones for the murdered members of the Dessauer family: Samuel, Marianne, and Heinz.
Born out of an initiative of the “Solingen Appeal”, the “Circle of Supporters of the Stolpersteine for Solingen” was established. Mayor Franz Haug assumed patronage of the project. Since then, more than 120 Stolpersteine have been laid for Jews, the politically persecuted and deserters, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and victims of euthanasia. The Solingen City Archive took over the biographical research and elaboration of the individual biographies of the victims of the Nazi regime in Solingen, as well as the presentation of these fates on the Internet. Time and again, descendants of the victims also take part in the installments, such as, most recently, twenty members of the Jewish Feist family, who had travelled to Solingen from all over the world.
Since 2018, twelve secondary schools have taken on the sponsorship of the regular cleaning of the Solingen Stoplersteine. In 2020, the Solingen City Archive published the volume “Man soll mich nicht vergessen!” Stolpersteine in Solingen, Schicksale 1933–1945 (“Do Not Forget Me!” Stolpersteine in Solingen, Fates 1933–1945) by Armin Schulte.
Timeline Solingen
- ↑ Solingen gets an education institution and memorial center – May 4, 2019
- ↓ Inauguration of the Bergische Synagogue – December 2, 2002