Remembrance in stone: Long tradition of stumbling blocks in Wiener Neustadt

Remembrance in stone: Long tradition of stumbling blocks in Wiener Neustadt

In Wiener Neustadt, the meaningful approach to honoring Nazi victims is being continued through the initiative of the SPÖ Center section under city councilor Norbert Horvath. This committed collaboration helps to maintain the memory of those persecuted, as the city has been actively supporting the cleaning of the stumbling blocks since 2021 and mobilizing volunteers to help.

The Stolpersteine, a remarkable project by the Cologne artist Gunter Demnig, were first published in Germany in 1995 and have since become more and more widespread in Austria. These small, cube-shaped concrete blocks are decorated with brass plates bearing the names of Nazi victims. They are usually placed on the sidewalk in front of the victims' last self-selected apartment in order to give back their memories and identities that were taken away from them by the Nazis.

The history of the origins of the stumbling blocks

The first stumbling blocks in Wiener Neustadt were laid in 2010 by the “Aktion Mitmensch” association and the street newspaper “Eibisch-Zuckerl”. In 2009, the local council decided to begin laying the first ten stones, supported by a community sponsorship initiative. Since then, the number of stumbling blocks has grown continuously; By 2021 there were already around 120 memorial stones in the city.

A central concern of the project is to honor not only Jewish victims, but also other affected groups, such as Romani and Sinti, religious minorities, homosexual people and many others who suffered under the National Socialist regime. The initiators are striving to collect comprehensive documentation about the fates of those affected and to support it with scientific work by experts such as Werner Sulzgruber.

The idea behind the stumbling blocks is not only to remember the victims, but also to actively involve the community in this process. Therefore, the SPÖ Central Section is still looking for committed volunteers to clean the stones in order to maintain their condition and ensure that the memory of the deceased remains alive.

The stumbling blocks can now be found not only in Germany, but also in 29 other European countries. Around 100,000 of these memorial stones have already been laid by May 2023, which underlines the far-reaching impact and sustained interest in this form of commemoration. In Austria, the first two stones were laid in St. Georgen in 1997, followed by numerous other initiatives in various cities.

This constant development of the Stolperstein initiative in Wiener Neustadt and beyond shows how important it is to maintain the memory of the victims of National Socialism. The many people who take part in this important work are helping to ensure that the horrors of the past are not forgotten.

The commitment of the SPÖ Central Section and the numerous helpers illustrates the importance of remembrance work in public spaces. It remains to be seen how the initiative will develop, particularly with regard to the inclusion of new groups of victims and the recruitment of additional volunteers who would like to dedicate themselves to this noble goal. Anyone interested can contact the SPÖ Central Section to become part of this important initiative and make a contribution to preserving memories. Further information about the Stolpersteine ​​in Wiener Neustadt is available here.