New stumbling blocks laid in the city of Salzburg
They are scattered over the entire city of Salzburg and serve to remember those who were victims of National Socialism: the stumbling blocks. There are now a total of 389 of the small brass tablets in the city, with 26 more to follow. Thomas Randisek and Gert Kerschbaumer, spoken.
It all started in the nineties. On December 16, 1992, the German artist Gunter Demnig laid the first inscribed stone with a brass plate in front of the historic Cologne City Hall. It was intended to commemorate those Roma and Sinti who were deported on that day 50 years ago at the behest of the Nazi regime.
Europass largest memorial
This resulted in the Stolpersteine project, which is intended to commemorate those who die under the Nazi regime in victims of the victims’ fields. “It is now the largest decentralized memorial in Europe,” says Thomas Randisek from the umbrella organization Salzburg cultural sites in an S24 conversation. Over 70,000 stones are currently distributed throughout Europe and South America. The stumbling blocks came to Salzburg by chance: “A friend of mine read about it and said that the project would also be interesting for Salzburg,” reports Randisek. In 2007, eleven years ago, the umbrella association Salzburg cultural sites started the project in coordination with the city of Salzburg.
The fate of Salzburg is documented
The retired historian and German scholar Gert Kerschbaumer had already started looking for traces of the Nazi victims in Salzburg in the nineties: “I went through all the population registers and home registers,” the 73-year-old told SALZBURG24. The biographies of those Salzburgers who died under the Nazi regime Kerschbaumer writes down to this day. A stumbling block was moved to one of the victims’ last documented residential addresses in Salzburg.
Stumbling blocks for lifesavers
What criteria do experts use to decide whether someone gets a stumbling block? “We see that., Who are thought of by means of stumbling blocks, were clear Nazi victims,” says Kerschbaumer. In addition to Nazi victims, stones are now also being laid for lifesavers. A first selection criterion for the pensioner was the discrimination of the victims, which continued even after the end of the Nazi regime: “According to the Austrian Victims Protection Act, for example, Roma and Sinti who were Austrian citizens are not recognized as victims. Many surviving dependents were therefore not entitled to victim care. I always considered these groups that were not recognized or recognized very late. “
Salzburg24 This map shows the stumbling blocks that were laid in Salzburg. / Screenshot / Salzburg stumbling blocks
This map shows the stumbling blocks that were laid in Salzburg. / Screenshot / Salzburg stumbling blocks
Reactions from Israel and Australia
The Stolperstein project in Salzburg has been received positively by the bank, says Randisek, who also believes he knows the reason for it: “In my opinion, the fact that the project has met with a very high level of acceptance has something to do with the fact that we are very familiar with the history of the victims document exactly. We try to get the victims out of anonymity and give them a face. ”This leads to the fact that many descendants from distant countries like Israel or Australia get in touch with the initiators. Their reaction to the Stolpersteine is also positive, some descendants would even travel to Salzburg to visit the Stolperstein of their relatives.
Stumbling blocks willfully destroyed
The city of Salzburg owns the Stolpersteine - and these are also insured, similar to a manhole cover or a traffic sign. This is how you take precautions if a stone breaks. “A stumbling block can be destroyed by a snow plow, for example, and the city of Salzburg replaces it,” explains the expert. Around five to eight stones are replaced every year. “Stumbling blocks can also be deliberately destroyed, which happened in Salzburg in 2013 and 2015,” recalls Randisek.
Well-known patents
The stones are financed by sponsors. “A stone costs 120 euros including laying. We receive a small amount of funding from the City of Salzburg. Otherwise the project will work itself out, ”reports Randisek. Among the sponsors are prominent Salzburg residents such as Governor Wilfried Haslauer (ÖVP) or ex-Mayor Heinz Schaden (SPÖ).
Fight against oblivion
Another 26 stumbling blocks are to be laid in the city of Salzburg soon, but the project is not yet complete. Until then, Kerschbaumer will continue to research the fate of Salzburg, because: “Should we forget the people?” Randisek also toasted the same thing. “You can’t deny this part of Salzburg’s history.” Anyone walking through the city of Salzburg with open eyes will realize that the stumbling blocks are precisely fighting against forgetting.