Commemoration in Stuttgart: Remembering the victims of the prisoner of war camp

Commemoration in Stuttgart: Remembering the victims of the prisoner of war camp

On May 9, 2025, around 200 people gathered at the Steinhaldenfriedhof in Stuttgart to commemorate the prisoners of war and forced laborers buried in World War II. This day was particularly marked by the memory of the probably around 700 Soviet victims who lost their lives during this tragic era. The participants, mostly Russians, laid flowers and held a procession to the memorial stones, while a service was held to honor the fallen. This memorial event reflects the deep wounds and memory of the horrors of war that are still present in the city today. According to the reports from the Stuttgart News Many of the men who died in a prisoner of war camp found their final resting place in this cemetery.

The prisoner of war camp in Gaisburg, which existed between 1940 and 1943, was originally set up in 1934 by the Stuttgart city administration, which was aligned. It began as a compulsory labor camp for the unemployed and politically undesirable people. With the beginning of the Second World War, this camp was transformed into a facility for prisoners of war who were used for forced labor in various facilities, including the Münster power plant and the sewage treatment plant. The vast majority of prisoners at the beginning were French, while from 1942 an additional “Russian camp” was set up in which many Soviet soldiers were held. The City of Stuttgart describes that the Allied air raid hit the camp on the night of April 14th to 15th, 1943. Tragically, 434 people died, making this attack the deadliest in Stuttgart at a single location.

The memorial plaque

To commemorate the terrible events and the victims, a memorial plaque was designed by Kurt Weidemann in 2002. This was initiated by the Muse-O e.V. initiative and Dr. Elmar Blessing and is opposite the Brendle stop. The following text can be read on the board: "Prisoner of war camp / 1940-1943. Four hundred meters north of here was the municipal Gaisburg prisoner of war camp during the Second World War. On the night of April 14th to 15th, 1943, 434 French, Soviet, Belgian and German men were killed in a bombing raid in this camp. Let us not forget them!" This memorial plaque is an important symbol of remembrance of the cruel fates of those who had to suffer in this camp and thus becomes a reminder for future generations. Further information about the memorial plaque can be found at Stuttgart in the picture.

Although there are no longer any physical traces of the former prisoner of war camp, the memory of the victims remains alive. The commemoration and the permanent memorial plaques have played an indispensable role in the collective memory of the city of Stuttgart. They are a sign that the horrors of the past must not be forgotten.