Darmstadt (memorial, Kirschenallee)

Historical background

In the period from March 1942 to February 1943, more than 3,000 Jewish and Gypsy families were deported to labour and death camps from Darmstadt. They were taken from the Denkzeichen Güterbahnhof freight station, where today there is a memorial dedicated to both groups of victims.

 

Description of commemoration

The memorial consists of a glass cube-shaped aquarium. It is filled with cracked glass, large and sharp shards, engraved with approx. 600 names of Jews as well as Roma and Sinti from the Hessen (Land) who were taken away from here. These names are a symbolic representatives of approximately 3,400 people from the Rhine-Main region. The Frankfurt/Rhinen-Main region is located in southern Hessen and in parts of the neighbouring lands, i.e. Rhineland-Palatinate and Bavaria.

The “Aquarium” stands on rails, which are ended with a railway buffer. According to the artists, the buffer symbolises the end of the victims’ lives, the tracks – their way to the camp and the glass shards – broken, interrupted lives.

The memorial includes two plaques placed on the barrier separating the square with the monument from the busy Bismarck street.

After the reconstruction of the memorial, which was partly destroyed by vandals in 2006, signs informing about CCTV monitoring were put in place.

 

Inscriptions

In German:

1.

Zur Erinnerung an die Juden und Sinti, die 1942/43 von diesem Ort aus in die Vernichtungslager deportiert wurden. // Denkzeichen Güterbahnhof // Initiative Gedenkort Güterbahnhof Darmstadt 2004.

Translation:

In memory of the Jews and Sinti who were deported to extermination camps from this place in 1942/43. // Denkzeichen Freight Station (literally: Freight Shipyard) // Güterbahnhof Darmstadt Memorial Site Initiative 2004.

2.

Am 7.11.2004 wurde das „Denkzeichen Güterbahnhof” in Erinnerung / an die Juden und Sinti, die von diesem Ort aus deportiert wurden, / eingeweiht. // In der Nach vom 9.07. auf den 10.07.2006 wurde das „Denkzeichen Güterbahnhof” durch Gewalt beschädigt, drei Seiten / des Glaskubus sind zerstört. Das Denkzeichen hat standgehalten.

Translation:

On November 7, 2004, the “Denkzeichen Güterbahnhof” memorial was opened, to commemorate the place from where Jews and Sinti were deported. // On the night of July 9/10, 2006 this memorial was destroyed by hooligans and three glass walls were broken. The monument was renovated.

Date of the unveiling

July 11, 2004

Author

Ritula Fränkel, Nicholas Morris

Initiator

The Association of the German Sinti and Roma Landesverband Hessen e.V.

 

Address

Gedenkort Denkzeichen Güterbahnhof Darmstadt

Bismarckstraße 131, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany (The corner of Kirschenallee and Bismarckstraße)

 

Location

49°52’30.2″N 8°38’04.3″E

49.875056, 8.634528

 

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Materials

http://denkzeichen-gueterbahnhof.de/

 

http://gedenkorte.sintiundroma.de/index.php?ortID=12

 

Gallery