Stolberg (memorial)

Address

Gustav-Wassilkowitsch Platz (former Railway Square), 52222 Stolberg, Germany

 

Location

50°47’39.8″N 6°13’07 Historical background

On March 2, 1943, five Sinti and Roma families, a total of 37 people, including 20-23 children, were transported from the station in Stolberg to the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. The youngest of them was Gustaw Wassilkowitsch, who was not even 2 years old on the day of the deportation.

All three families met the same fate as the Georg Markowitsch family. Georg was born in June 1940, he died three and a half years later, in December 1943. His father had been dead for 5 months and his 8-year-old brother Stefan had been killed 7 months earlier. Stefan’s mother died a month after her youngest son. Georg’s three sisters were finally killed in March and April 1944 at the age of 12, 17 and 20.

In 1995, a wooden wheel was placed in front of the railway station in Stolberg, which symbolised getting rid of 38 Roma from the city. Their names were also recorded there. The circle, as it turned out, was a temporary commemoration. In 2010, Stolberg station, railway square and Rhenaniastrasse were rebuilt and the memorial was removed due to the decay of the material it was made of.

A new memorial commemorating the deported and murdered Roma families was erected in 2013. It is a stone stele about 2.70 m high, made by a stone sculptor, André Henneken from Stolberg-Breinig.

 

Description of commemoration

The stone stele is designed so as to make use of its 4 side surfaces. On the front, the inscription “Don’t Forget” in Romani is located at the top – and the same inscription, but in German version is visible at the bottom. Between the inscriptions, which are carved on the lighter stripes, there is an inscription in German informing about the event that the memorial commemorates.

On the sides there are respectively: on the left the names of the Roma from Stolberg with the date of birth and death, on the right the plaques with information about the funding of the memorial. On the rear surface of the stele, there is a full name of the Gruppe Z with the inscription “Against Forgetting” (German: Gegen das Vergessen) which was added in 2013.

The surface around the stele is covered with small grey pebbles, and a circular rim is formed out of larger white stones.

 

Inscriptions

In German:

37 / Stolberger / Roma / wurden / won hier aus / am 2 März 1943 / mit der Bahn / nach / Auschwitz / zur Ermordung / deportiert.

Translation:

From this place, on March 2, 1943, 37 Roma were deported from Stolberg to Auschwitz, to their death.

Nazwiska / daty

Staniel Lassisch’s Family:

Staniel Lassisch, born on March 03, 1905, deceased on June 29, 1943

Stan Lassisch’s wife, nee Todorowitsch born on March 04, 1907, deceased in ??

and their 5 children:

Toni Lassisch, born on March 23, 1939, deceased on May 11, 1943

Dschuro Lassisch, born on Paril 28, 1937, deceased on ??

Petra Lassisch, born on June 2, 1935, deceased on July 22, 1944

Stefan Lassisch, born on May 30, 1932, deceased on September 30, 1943

Johann Lassisch, born on May 31, 1925, deceased on April 04, 1943

 

Petra Lassisch nee Neditsch, born on December 15, 1927, deceased in ??

 

Stojan Lassisch’s Family:

Stojan Lassisch, born on December 17, 1908, deceased on May 22, 1944

Stojan Lassisch’s wife nee Mitrowitsch, born on December 19, 1908, deceased on  ??

and their 6 children:

Mariza Lassisch, born on March 23, 1939, deceased on May 02, 1943

Johann Lassisch, born on February 12, 1937, deceased on July 07, 1943

Berta Lassisch, born on June 22, 1935,  deceased on May 16, 1944

Peter Lassisch, born on January 15, 1933, deceased on June 20, 1944

Stefan Lassisch, born on September 19, 1931, deceased in 1943

Stanko Lassisch, born on January 25, 1929, deceased on March 01, 1944

 

Petra Wassilkowitsch, born on April 07, 1909, deceased on December 12, 1943

Pero  Wassilkowitsch, born on March 04, 1914, deceased in ??

Gustav  Wassilkowitsch, born on September 08, 1941, deceased on April 14, 1943

Helene  Wassilkowitsch, born in 1939, deceased on January 19, 1944

Michael  Wassilkowitsch, born on November 21, 1938, deceased on ?? 29, 1944

Karoline  Wassilkowitsch, born on June 25, 1936, deceased in ??

 

Mitar Markowitsch’s Family

Mitar Markowitsch, born on January 15, 188…?, deceased on July 02, 1943

Wife, Anna Markowitsch nee Staganos, born on March 07, 1900, deceased on January 28, 1944

and their 5 children:

Georg Markowitsch, born on June 12, 1940, deceased on December 29, 1943

Stefan Markowitsch, born on August 01, 1934, deceased on May 01, 1943

Helene Markowitsch, born on November 20, 1932, deceased on April 13, 1944

Maria Markowitsch, born on November 21, 1927, deceased on March 14, 1944

Stana Markowitsch, born on June 18, 1924, deceased on March 14, 1944

 

Wasso Jowanowitsch, born on August 07, 1914, deceased on June 16, 1943

 

Lazar Todorowitsch’s Family

Lazar Todorowitsch, born on May 15, 1910, deceased in 1944

Wife, Rosa Todorowitsch nee Markowitsch, born on May 07, 1914, deceased on November 29, 1943

and their 4 children:

Stefan Todorowitsch, born on March 29, 1940, deceased in ??

Stana Todorowitsch, born on March 24, 1937, deceased on May 10, 1943

Anna Todorowitsch, born on April 17, 1934, deceased on March 29, 1943

Maria Todorowitsch, born on July 25, 1932, deceased on November 29, 1943

 

Date of the unveiling

1995, the new memorial: March 2, 2013 (70th Anniversary of the Deportation)

 

Author

André Henneken

 

Initiator

Gruppe Z – „Zukunft ohne Fremdenhass, Faschismus und Krieg; gegen das Vergessen” (An Association of Anti-Fascists from Stolberg: „Gruppe Z – Future without xenophobia, fascism and war; Against forgetting”; created at the peaceful initiative of a group of citizens of Stolberg)

VVN-BdA Aachen – Vereinigung der Verfolgten des Naziregimes – Bund der Antifaschistinnen und Antifaschisten (An Association of Anti-Fascists from Berlin, founded in 1947)

.4″E

50.794389, 6.218722

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Materials

Gruppe Z: http://gruppe-z-stolberg.de/mahnmal_roma.html

VVN-BdA: https://vvn-bda.de/

Europäischer Kunsthof Stolberg: http://www.xn--europischer-kunsthof-fzb.de/

 

Gallery