Stolpersteine Service Project
“The Stolpersteine service has already taught me that people in Freiburg really value the project, and the commemoration that it represents. Numerous times during service, we have been stopped while cleaning by people telling us how grateful they are for our work. For me, these reactions by passersby underscore the importance of maintaining the stones and point to the relevance of their symbolism. I choose to participate in the Stolpersteine service as I feel the atrocities of the Nazi regime in Germany should never be forgotten, and I saw participating in the Stolpersteine project as my own way to contribute to remembrance. In addition, I thought it would present a good opportunity to learn more about the history of National Socialism in Freiburg, meet local change-makers, and practice my German.”
Second-year student Wyatt is one of the students participating in our new service project maintaining Freiburg’s Stolpersteine (stumbling stones). The idea of Stolpersteine is based on the artist Gunter Demnig and began in 1992 by brass plaques being placed in the pavement in front of the houses of victims of National Socialism. Marlies Meckel, the initiator of the Freiburger Stolperstein campaign, started 16 years ago and has placed until now around 420 of them, each with a story, each in need of care. In addition to cleaning the Stolpersteine, our students are working on an app for visitors to find and learn about those stories.
The Stolpersteine Project is a new service project that started at the beginning of the academic year. Altogether, we work with 25 organizations on Freiburg on a regular basis. Learn more about our CAS program.
