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Püttlingen sets an example against forgetting with stumbling blocks!
Stolpersteine were laid in Püttlingen to commemorate Nazi victims. Initiatives and students contribute to the memorial work.
Püttlingen sets an example against forgetting with stumbling blocks!
Stolpersteine were laid in Püttlingen and Köllerbach on May 26, 2025 to commemorate the politically persecuted victims of National Socialism. The ceremonies took place at three locations: Marktstrasse 46, Ludwigstrasse 1 and Engelfanger Strasse 13. This important memorial campaign was initiated by the Püttlingen Remembrance Work group, supported by the city of Püttlingen. Stolpersteine, a project by the Cologne artist Gunter Demnig, are an important symbol against forgetting and are intended to give the victims back their names and memories, as ndr.de explains.
The first relocation took place at Marktstrasse 46, where three stumbling blocks were placed for the members of the Nalbach family. This family was forced into exile because of their political beliefs and suffered internment and prison sentences. The fate of her daughter Rosa, who was forcibly sterilized under the Nazi regime, is particularly tragic. Students in class 8.2 at the Peter-Wust Community School actively dealt with these fates and gave presentations during the transfer. Josipa Andacic spoke about Margarete Nalbach, Huda Shadad about Rosa and Alia Alsalh Almahamed about Jakob Nalbach.
Remembering resistance fighters
The second relocation took place at Ludwigstrasse 1, where a stumbling block was placed for Ludwig Brader. He was the son-in-law of the Nalbach family, fought against fascism and was murdered in Auschwitz in 1944. During this ceremony, Lana Dingert spoke about his fate. The last stumbling block was placed at Engelfanger Straße 13 for Fritz Klein, a social democrat and resistance fighter who was executed in 1944. These relocations were accompanied by students and members of the project group with biographical contributions and moments of remembrance.
Relatives, local politicians and interested citizens took part in the ceremonies. The events were musically accompanied by Toni Henkes and Josef Groß. The sponsorships for the stumbling blocks were taken over by relatives and the local SPD branch on Ritterstrasse. Mayor Denise Klein was grateful for the commitment of everyone involved.
Another important aspect of the culture of remembrance was a devotion to which the Protestant parish of Kölln invited people to attend after the relocation to St. Martin's Church in Köllerbach. Deacon Daniel Schöneweiß organized the service, while Rita Beyer and Rudolf Hahn were involved in the liturgy. Dr. Burkhard Jellonnek sensitized the audience during the processing and emphasized the importance of remembrance.
Stumbling blocks and their meaning
Gunter Demnig, the initiator of this project, has laid over 90,000 stumbling blocks in Europe since the 1990s. These square memorial stones, which are embedded in the sidewalk, commemorate not only the Jewish victims, but also those who were politically persecuted, Roma, Sinti, homosexuals and many other groups of victims of National Socialism. Stolpersteine are considered the largest decentralized memorial in the world and can be found in over 1,800 municipalities in Germany and 29 other countries.
Financing comes from donations and an amount of 120 euros per stone for production and laying. There are also cleaning campaigns on important memorial days to keep the stumbling blocks in memory. An app was also initiated that has been providing information on over 35,000 memorial stones in Germany since November 2022. Martin Schmidt is available as a contact person for those interested in taking part in coming to terms with the fates or taking on sponsorships.