Stolpersteine at Baldeneysee and Ruhr

At the picturesque Baldeneysee in Essen, it is not only nature and leisure facilities that invite you to linger, but also the small, inconspicuous brass plates in the sidewalks - the so-called "Stolpersteine". They are memorials of remembrance that make local paths of suffering visible and transport them into the present. Baldeneysee.Ruhr in search of traces around the Baldeneysee.

The Stolpersteine are a project by the artist Gunter Demnig, which was launched in 1992. They are now considered the world's largest decentralized memorial. A Stolperstein is a small brass plate that is set into the sidewalk and commemorates a victim of the National Socialist era. The name, date of birth, deportation date and often the place of death are engraved on it. The idea behind this is to make the life stories of the people at their last place of residence before deportation visible and thus to remind them of them.

The districts around Baldeneysee - Bredeney, Werden, Heisingen, Kupferdreh and Fischlaken - are characterized by historic buildings, green landscapes and a diverse cultural heritage. But behind some of the facades of this idyllic backdrop lie the stories of people who were persecuted and murdered during the Nazi dictatorship. Stolpersteine in these districts commemorate Jewish families, politically persecuted people, homosexuals and other victim groups who once lived here and were uprooted by persecution.

The Stolpersteine are not simply intended to be signs of remembrance. They are an active invitation: To look, to pause, to reflect. Everyone who "stumbles" over a Stolperstein is confronted with the past and must decide how to deal with this memory. Especially in times when anti-Semitic and right-wing extremist movements are being reignited, the Stolpersteine are intended to be a silent yet urgent appeal for tolerance, humanity and a "never again".

Around Baldeneysee , there are increasingly innovative approaches to integrating the Stolpersteine into cultural life. For example, local schools and associations regularly organize guided tours where the stories behind these stones are told. Digital apps enable interested parties to find out more about the fates of the people whose names appear on the Stolpersteine. The focus is not only on the memorial itself, but also on the question of what everyone can learn from this history for the future.

The Stolpersteine in the districts around Baldeneysee are not just historical markers - they are memorials that bring the past directly into our present. They remind us that the beauty of this area has also lived through dark chapters. A walk along the Stolpersteine is a hike through a part of Essen's history.