On Thursday, the city council of Heidenau, a town of about 16,000 southeast of Dresden in Saxony, voted to halt the placement of new Stolpersteine memorial plaques. These brass “stumbling blocks” bear the names and fates of victims of the Nazi regime and have been installed across Europe since 1992.
Council decision and political backing
Councilors from the far‑right Alternative for Germany (AfD) and the center‑right Christian Democratic Union (CDU) backed the motion. Proponents argued that many relatives of Holocaust victims view the plaques as an inappropriate form of remembrance because pedestrians walk over them.
Reactions from Israel and cultural officials
Israel’s ambassador to Germany, Ron Prosor, expressed shame over the decision, noting that some of the plaques in Berlin commemorate his own family members. He wrote on X that it is “ashamed” to see a German city abandon new installations in 2026.
Christian Meyer‑Heidemann, the state commissioner for political education in Schleswig‑Holstein, condemned the move as a deliberate attack on Germany’s culture of remembrance.
Broader context of Stolpersteine controversy
Heidenau is not alone. Munich has prohibited Stolpersteine on city‑owned land and is exploring alternative memorials, citing concerns that the plaques allow victims’ names to be trampled. Some Jewish leaders share that objection.
The AfD, which has a strong presence in eastern Germany, has recently surged in polls and won elections in two states, prompting renewed debate over cooperation between mainstream parties and the far‑right. While CDU leader Friedrich Merz publicly rejects any partnership with the AfD, the party’s recent successes have strained the long‑standing policy of non‑cooperation.
Artist’s response
Gunter Demnig, the creator of the Stolpersteine, said the decision was “certainly to be expected” after the AfD’s electoral gains and accused the CDU of abandoning its Christian roots.
The council’s vote marks a shift in how some German municipalities handle Holocaust remembrance, raising questions about the balance between public memory and local sentiment.
Original reporting: Alexandria, VA News – WTOP News — read the source article.
