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Duisburg commemorates: remembering 15 years after the Love Parade tragedy!
On July 24th, 2025, Duisburg will commemorate the victims of the Love Parade disaster with a final event and new remembrance plans.
Duisburg commemorates: remembering 15 years after the Love Parade tragedy!
On July 24, 2025, people in Duisburg will commemorate the tragic Love Parade disaster 15 years ago. This place, where the joy of techno fans was once celebrated, now stands 21 wooden crosses commemorating the young lives lost in the mass panic of 2010. This memorable memorial event was led by the Protestant pastor Thiesbonenkamp, who took up the emotional memories of what happened back then. Previously, the victims' relatives gathered for a service in the Salvator Church to silently commemorate the deceased. The event, which is considered to be the last of its kind in this form, ended with the “Night of 1,000 Lights”. Daily Mirror reported.
The disaster, which occurred in July 2010, had devastating consequences: 21 people died and more than 500 were injured as panic broke out among over 10,000 people celebrating. The site of the accident - a wide ramp that served as an entrance and exit - will in future be part of a modern urban district that the city of Duisburg is planning. Up to 5,000 apartments and 8,000 jobs are expected to be created here by 2032. The ramp itself will be restored to its original state and become part of a park, as mentioned in the plans.
New approach to memory
After 15 years it is clear that the grief for the victims has changed. As Jürgen Widera, ombudsman of the “Duisburg 24.7.2010” foundation, explains, many relatives now feel that the need for support has decreased. The foundation that organized the memorial and celebrations is therefore dissolving. But the discussion about suitable forms of commemoration remains current, because the city of Duisburg plans to take responsibility for remembrance work starting next year.
In recent years, security at major events has become more important. The accident was the deciding factor for stricter regulations and new strategies to prevent such tragedies. Scientists and institutions in Germany, such as the DFKI in Kaiserslautern, are increasingly working on technologies for real-time crowd monitoring. The need to better understand and control the dynamics of large gatherings of people is greater than ever. Clever approaches such as the “crowd density heat map” or security apps are examples that should help to react quickly in dangerous situations, he says Deutschlandfunk culture.
A place for thoughts and memories
The goal of preserving the site of the accident not only as a reminder of a tragedy, but also as an integral part of the cityscape, is an important step. The city of Duisburg is showing that it wants to learn from the past and find a new way of dealing with the events of July 24, 2010.
The road to healing is long, but the memories of the 21 victims and the lessons from the past should form the basis for a safer future at major events in Germany. The current commemoration is more than just a memorial service; it is a call for development and change – both in dealing with memory and in relation to security.