Braunschweig (plaque/exhibition)

Historical background

Similarly to other German cities, in Brunswick (German: Braunschweig) there was also a ghetto for the local Roma and Sinti. It was located in Veltenhof, approx. 7 km to the north of the city. In March 1943, the Roma and Sinti were sent to the Brunswick railway station, from where they were deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Several of them survived.

Description of commemoration

Heading to the right of the main entrance to the City Hall in Brunswick (entrance close to the Platz der Deutschen Einheit), we reach the exhibition of commemorative plaques in the building’s foyer. It consists of 24 backlit plaques arranged in three rows, each closely adjacent to the next. On the right side of the exhibition there is a black panel, which fills the surface of the wall between the wall column and the column’s head and the arch near the door. Behind us there are columns supporting the ceiling.

The black panel contains information in German about the reason the plaques were placed on the wall (see below).

The white plaques, i.e. the exhibition backlit with warm light, contain the names of Sinti from Brunswick. The second plaque from the left in the middle row shows the outline of a woman’s face. It is so blurry that we are not sure if it really is a gypsy woman or whether the photograph depicts any specific person… anyway, it probably does not matter in comparison with the number of so-called “faceless” names, people who were probably all killed.

 

Inscriptions

The black panel:

In den Jahren den nationalsozialistischen Herrschaft / wurden die Braunsweiger Sinti verfolgt. / Der Weg der Ausgrenzung und Entrechtung sollte in / die endgültige Vernichtung führen. // Wir Gedenken der Menschen, die von den National- / -sozialisten am 3. Märch 1943 in das Konzentrations- / -lager Auschwitz-Birkenau deportiert worden sind. / Nur wenige überlebten. // Wir Breunschweiger Bürger gedenken der Sinti. / Es waren unsere Nachbarn. Ihre Namen und Schick- / -sale werden wir in unserer Erinnerung bewahren. // Das Menschen nicht geachtet / (Jessaja 33,8). // Die Stadt Braunschweig

Translation:

During the years of the National Socialist rule, Gypsy residents of Braunschweig experienced persecution. The path of exclusion and deprivation of rights led to final destruction.

We commemorate people who were deported by the National Socialists to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp on March 3, 1943. Only a few of them survived.

We, the citizens of Braunschweig, commemorate the Sinti. They were our neighbours. We will keep their names and surnames in our memory.

[The enemy  had] no regard for man (Is 33,8)*.

The City of Brunszwik

 

* The whole quotation: he highways lie waste, the traveler ceases; Covenants are broken; cities are despised, there is no regard for man. (Is 33,8) – from The Bible (English Standard Version)

 

Nazwiska

The names are not alphabetised, there are spaces between them that I do not copy here. I provide the  names by columns, each column is separated by a space verse. There are 121 names in total.

 

Eduard Weiss

Helmut Bruder

Alwine Dewis

Tite Dieselberg

Johannes Kümmel

Friedrich Kreutz

Hermann Weiss

Wilma Wagner

Maria Dikolic

Erika Diesenberg

Katharine Petermann

Helga Diesenberg

Robert Weiss

Otto Laubinger

Ursula Knöpfel

 

Walter Weiss

Johann Schmidt

Rosa Diesenberg

Anna Kümmel

Sonja Rose

[portret]

Rosa Weiss

Robert Laubinger

Jonni Kreutz

Frieda Anna Hoffmann

 

Gisela Horz

Annemarie Knöpfel

Hermann Laubinger

Margarete Weiss-Dieselberg

Heinrich Weiss

Waldfriede Krause

Waltraud Kressig

Anton Kreitz

Wendolin Rose

Anna Diesenberg

Eduard Kreutz

Berta Kreitz

 

Robert Diesenberg

Hermann Knöpfel

… Kreutz

Moninka Heilig-Laubinger

Willi Kreutz

Auguste Schmidt

Johann Wagner

Sophie Diesenberg

Renata Weiss-Reichel

Adolf Laubinger

Regina Kümmel

Ida Schmidt

Wilhelm Ritter

August Weiss

Gisela Kümmel

Agathe Laubinger

Eduard Diesenberg

 

Friedrich Diesenberg

Alwin Laubinger

Emilie Knöpfel

Barbara Weiss

Hugo Laubinger

Franziska Wagner

Weidemann Schmidt

Heinrich Kreitz

Peter Diesenberg

Johannes Weiss

Meta Reicher

Gertrud Launeburger

Ilonie Kreutz

Arnhold Petermann

Heinrich Diesenberg

Anita Reichel

 

Helene Reichel

Eduard Kreitz

Wilhelmine Laubinger

Lisa Weiss

Marie Schmidt

Anna K. Reinhardt

Johannes Kümmel

Brigitta Weiss

Robert Rose

Elisabeth Diesenberg

Johanna Lichtenberger

Erich Schmidt

Gustav Schmidt

Karl Kümmel

Rosa Diesenberg

Margarethe Schmidt

Grete Weiss

 

Ida Laubinger

Salvita Weiss

Christian Kreitz

Friedrich Schmitz

Edith Schubert

Hugo Schubert

Siegfried Trollman

Ar. Wagner

Albert Kümmel

Eduard Diesenberg

Karl Walter

Anna Weidemann

Renate Kümmel

Eduard Laubinger

Brigitt Weiss

Agnes Kreutz

Dorothea Schmidt

 

Johannes Laubinger

Christian Kümmel

Dora Weiss

Marie Schmidt

Eduard Diesenberg

Regina Reichel

Karl Diesenberg

Anna Ferum

Luise Kreitz

Erwin Lauenburger

Zinka^[1] Weiss

Hulda Kreutz

Ida Kreutz

Erna Bruder

Wilhelm Wiegand

Johann Fiker

 

Date of the unveiling

October 17, 2002

 

Author

Ohannes Tapyuli

 

Initiator

Niedersächsischer Verbant Deutscher Sinti (The Associations of German Sinti of Lower Saxony)

 

Address

The Stadt Braunschweig building – foyer – on the right side from the entrance. Platz der Deutschen Einheit 1, 38100 Braunschweig, Germany

braunschweig.de

 

Location

52°15’51.2″N 10°31’31.0″E

52.264222, 10.525278

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Materials

http://braunschweig-spiegel.de/index.php/kultur/3333-70-jahre-deportation-der-braunschweiger-sinti

 

Gallery

 

^[1] Is it possible that they know the legend about Cinka Panna from Slovenska?