First stumbling block in Eschringen: Commemoration of Peter Baptist Hergott

First stumbling block in Eschringen: Commemoration of Peter Baptist Hergott

Today, May 27, 2025, a stumbling block will be laid in Eschringen in honor of Peter Baptist Hergott. The ceremony begins at 12 p.m. in front of the property at Hauptstrasse 70. This is the first Stolperstein in Eschringen dedicated to a victim of National Socialist terror. Rainer Hartz, who deals intensively with the history of Hergott, explains the meaning of the memorial stones: “They are intended to remind and warn so that the fate of those who were persecuted is not forgotten,” reports SR.

Peter Baptist Hergott was born on March 13, 1897 in Eschringen. At the age of 14, he began an apprenticeship as a heating engineer, but fate turned out to be challenging. At the age of 17, he suffered a serious work accident with a crushed pelvis and later, in 1927, he suffered severe burns in a grenade explosion that left him deaf in his left ear. As early as 1930, he became disabled in a traffic accident because he lost all of his upper teeth and could no longer work.

The persecution and the consequences

The National Socialists stigmatized Hergott as an “antisocial.” This term came into vogue in 1938, when a systematic persecution of people deemed “anti-social,” including petty criminals, homeless people, and prostitutes, began. During this time, Hergott moved to Cocheren, France, to live with his mother after he was no longer able to work due to his health problems. On May 12, 1938, he was arrested in Eschringen for a passport offense and spent 20 days in prison before being deported to France by the National Socialists, reports eschringen.de.

Hergott was arrested again on April 21, 1943 and deported to the Natzweiler concentration camp. He died there on May 17, 1943 under unclear circumstances. The official cause of death was given as “cryptogenic sepsis due to influenza infection”. The documents that have been preserved about Hergott's life come exclusively from his Gestapo file and documents from the Natzweiler concentration camp. This makes coming to terms with its history and laying the stumbling block all the more important.

The commitment of Rainer Hartz, supported by Ruth Bauer from the Saarbrücken City Archives, shows how important it is to research the stories of the forgotten and bring them into public awareness. Five years ago, the Bundestag officially recognized the “antisocials” as victims of National Socialism, which underlines the importance of this commemoration.

All interested parties are invited to the laying of the Stolperstein to commemorate Hergott's life and the fate of many other victims of the Nazi regime together, adds SR. This initiative is intended to find a place in collective memory and raise awareness of historical injustices.