Memorial to the Victims of National Socialism (Stuttgart)
The memorial for the victims of National Socialism is a memorial on Stuttgart's Karlsplatz in front of the Old Palace . The sculptor was Elmar Daucher .
composition
The memorial is made up of four black stone blocks, each two meters long. They come from the Brazilian Tijuca National Park near Rio de Janeiro in Brazil. Three of the blocks stand offset on the floor, while the fourth hangs diagonally between them.
A text by Ernst Bloch can be read on a black granite slab in the middle of the monument :
- 1933-1945
- Ostracized Violated Tortured
- Slain, Hung Gassed
- Millions of victims
- The National Socialist tyranny
- Summon you:
- Never again!
In addition to the monument, three sculptures by the sculptor Alfred Hrdlicka relating to the local Stauffenberg-Platz can be seen.
history
City councilor Eugen Eberle suggested a competition for the design of the memorial in 1963 after Mayor Arnulf Klett had given a promise to erect one in 1963. The competition began in 1967; the sculptors were asked to design it based on Ernst Bloch's text. This text had been discussed controversially. Nine artists applied for the contract.
Several locations were up for debate, some of which were fierce. Among them were the fountain square of the Hoppenlauffriedhof and the Birkenkopf . In 1967 the local council decided on the current location. The proximity to the former Gestapo headquarters in the Hotel Silber also played a role.
In February 1969, a committee of experts voted unanimously in favor of Daucher's proposal. As a result, Daucher was commissioned by the local council to create the memorial in November. Construction began in September 1970 and the memorial was dedicated on November 8, 1970.
literature
- Elmar Daucher: Memorial for the Victims of National Socialism, 1970 , website of the City of Stuttgart, accessed on January 8, 2013
- Bärbel Küster (Ed.): Sculptures of the 20th Century in Stuttgart , Heidelberg 2006
Coordinates: 48 ° 46 ′ 37 " N , 9 ° 10 ′ 49.4" E