Commemoration in Stuhr: New stumbling blocks laid for Rosette and Mariechen!

Commemoration in Stuhr: New stumbling blocks laid for Rosette and Mariechen!

New stumbling blocks were laid in Stuhr on June 4, 2025 to commemorate the fates of Rosette Martha Löwenstein and Mariechen Franz. Both women fell victim to the terror of National Socialism. The memorial campaign, carried out by the artist Gunter Demnig, aims to take a stand against forgetting and to promote the culture of remembrance.

Stolpersteine ​​are the most important part of a large number of memorial stones that can be found throughout Europe and commemorate around 120,000 victims of National Socialism. These small, fist-sized concrete blocks are decorated with brass plates that document the names, dates of life and last whereabouts of the people registered. The initiative is supported by Gunter Demnig and a team of 14 employees.

Growing challenges for the culture of remembrance

However, the stumbling blocks are under increasing pressure. In the last few months, stumbling blocks have been damaged or even stolen in several cities such as Magdeburg, Lünen, Menden and others. In Kaiserslautern alone there was an incident in which four stumbling blocks were stolen, triggering a wave of outrage among passers-by. This outraged state was documented by SWR journalist Alexandra Dietz in a street survey.

A report on tagesschau.de points out that there have been a total of 9 thefts and 25 cases of property damage to stumbling blocks since 2024. Federal states such as Saxony-Anhalt are particularly affected with 18 cases, while four incidents were registered in Baden-Württemberg. What is shocking is that a quarter of the state criminal investigation offices cannot evaluate these crimes.

Anti-Semitism and remembrance

Documentation of anti-Semitic incidents is also increasing dramatically. RIAS recorded a total of 102 anti-Semitic incidents related to stumbling blocks in 2024, an increase of 30 percent compared to 2023. These incidents include not only damage and theft, but also graffiti. Nikolas Lelle from the Amadeu Antonio Foundation reports that many perpetrators could not be identified and that there are indications that they come from the right-wing extremist spectrum.

In addition, in the past few months after Hamas' attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, an increasing number of stumbling block incidents have been documented, which has intensified the debate about the culture of remembrance. Interestingly, the Zeitz theft showed that such incidents often create the Streisand effect, where they attract more attention and even donations from the public.

The stumbling blocks laid for Rosette Martha Löwenstein and Mariechen Franz not only represent individual commemoration, but also the challenges facing the culture of remembrance in Germany.