Cobblestones commemorating Holocaust victims disposed of after roadworks
The news came out after the town's mayor, Ulrich Schulte, had taken part in a ceremony at the town's Jewish cemetery in remembrance of Holocaust victims.
By JERUSALEM POST STAFFParts of the Holocaust memorial project "Stolpersteine" (stumbling blocks) are pictured in Berlin, Germany, August 18, 2017. (photo credit: REUTERS/HANNIBAL HANSCHKE)
Five Jewish memorial stones in the German town of Plettenberg vanished after contractors dug up the pavement during contracted trenching work, DW reported.Germany laid down 75,000 Stolperstein – bronze-capped cobblestones with names engraved on them – with most of them being outside homes once owned by Jews, though they also commemorate all of the Nazis' victims, including political dissidents, Roma, members of the LGBTQ community and others.Each stone is 9.6 sq.cm. and weighs 2 kg., with an engraving recording the name of a victim of the Nazis, along with their date of birth and a date of their last known fate, such as "deported," "murdered" or "forced to flee."According to the Märkische Zeitung newspaper, the stones were apparently disposed at a site for building waste.The news came out after the town's mayor, Ulrich Schulte, had taken part in a ceremony at the town's Jewish cemetery in remembrance of Holocaust victims.The mayor described the loss of the Stolperstein as "very annoying." However, the Stolperstein will be replaced, with the contracted firm being paid €280 per replacement cube, DW reported."The most important thing is that stones are replaced in the [cobblestone] pavement," Schulte said.He added that he regarded the stones as an important way to remember the victims of the Nazis.Both the contracted firm and the project supervisor were told on multiple occasions about the Stolperstein before and during their work. However, the stones were disposed of nonetheless.Stolperstein stones are displayed in approximately 1,200 cities and communities throughout Germany, as well as in other parts of Europe.
