Memorial threshold in Viersen: In memory of over 6,500 victims of forced labor

Memorial threshold in Viersen: In memory of over 6,500 victims of forced labor

An uplifting sign of remembrance will be set in Viersen, which will be ceremoniously unveiled on June 17, 2025 at 4 p.m. A memorial threshold will commemorate the victims of forced labor in Viersen between 1940 and 1945. This initiative is being driven forward by committed citizens such as Jürgen Heimes from the “NieWieDer” initiative, Beatrix Wolters from the Viersen Association for Homeland Care and Manfred Budel from the Association for the Promotion of the Culture of Remembrance Viersen 1933-45. Mayor Sabine Anemüller will open the event with a moving speech.

The memorial threshold will be located on the path between the town hall and the municipal gallery in the park, very close to Georg Ettl's “Strong Woman”, and is part of a comprehensive project by the artist Gunter Demnig, who is best known for his stumbling blocks. These unique small monuments, which are embedded in the sidewalk, serve to commemorate the fate of over 6,500 people who were forced to do forced labor in Viersen during the Nazi era.

A moving message

The memorial threshold is provided with an apt inscription that reflects the dramatic circumstances: “VIERSEN 1940-1945, MORE THAN 6,500 PEOPLE TRANSDUCED TO VIERSEN, FORCED LABOR IN STATE CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS, IN INDUSTRIAL COMPANIES AND CRAFT BUSINESSES, WITH FARMERS AND IN PRIVATE HOUSEHOLDS, BECAUSE OF POOR LIVING CONDITIONS, OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS AND BOMB ATTACKS, AN UNKNOWN NUMBER OF THEM DIED.” These words are not only a memorial to the past, but also a call to keep memories alive.

But the memorial threshold is more than just a stone. It joins a global movement that is essentially characterized by Demnig's stumbling blocks. Around 70,000 of these small monuments are now spread across Europe and beyond. They provide information about the life stories of Nazi victims who were persecuted and murdered because of their political, religious or ethnic affiliation. School classes often sit behind the research into these life stories, which gives the commemoration a personal touch and makes the events both tangible and understandable. Deutschlandfunk reports about how these stones tell individual stories and thus make a valuable contribution to the culture of remembrance.

A musical supporting program

A special highlight will be the musical accompaniment by 16-year-old Jakob Tillmann, which will give the ceremony an additional emotional depth. The public is cordially invited to take part in this moving unveiling and thus take a stand against forgetting.

This event in Viersen is not just a local commemoration, but part of a larger movement that is concerned with coming to terms with the National Socialist past. The various initiatives, as well as the stumbling blocks, offer space for reflection and discussion about responsibility, memory and the challenges associated with these topics.

In addition, the count of graves in urban areas shows that the memory of forced laborers is still alive even after many years. In the cemeteries of Viersen, Dülken and Süchteln as well as in the cemetery of the LVR clinics, 51 graves of former forced laborers and their children can be found, a strong sign of the need to tell their stories.

Overall, the memorial threshold provides a space for mourning, reflection and remembrance of all those who lost their lives during the dark chapters of our history. This initiative is intended to make no one forget and helps raise awareness of the horrors of the past.

Viersen reports about the planned memorial threshold and the associated celebrations, which are of great importance both for Viersen and for the entire region.