Stumbling block for Otto Gatter: A strong commemoration in Schwäbisch Gmünd

Stumbling block for Otto Gatter: A strong commemoration in Schwäbisch Gmünd

Mutlanger Straße 28, 73525 Schwäbisch Gmünd, Deutschland - On May 29, 2025, a new stumbling block was moved in Schwäbisch Gmünd at Mutlanger Strasse 28. This memorial initiative attracted around 30 people, including the mayor Richard Arnold and the artist Gunter Demnig, who launched the idea of ​​the stumbling blocks. The stumbling block is reminiscent of Otto Gatter, a Nazi victim that lived between 1902 and 1940. He was the son of the founder Eisabricer Ferdinand Gatter and was considered mentally disabled, even though he was physically healthy.

Otto Gatter was moved to the Mariaberg Healing and Nursing Institute after his father's death, before he was deported to Grafeneck nine years later and gassed there with carbon monoxide. This cruel story is part of a dark past in which over 70,000 people were murdered during the Nazi era, including at least 27 from Schwäbisch Gmünd. The stumbling blocks should remind of these victims and keep the public memory awake, such as gmuender-tagingpost.de reported.

initiatives to remember

The laying of the stumbling block for Otto Gatter was initiated by Saleena Bjelic, a student of the Agnes-von-Hohenstaufenschule, who addressed the "Action T4" and the associated crimes as part of her seminar work. Your personal connection to people with disabilities reinforced her interest in the topic. Bjelic pointed out that the deeds often found covering through so -called consolation letters and that only a few perpetrators were legally held responsible.

In Schwäbisch Gmünd, the first stumbling blocks were laid in 2008, and there are now over 17 such memorials. These 10 × 10 cm brass boards are reminiscent of the persecuted and murdered in the public space in the public space, which underlines the importance of personal history. According to Deutschlandfunk.de, over 70,000 stumbling blocks have been laid in 1,860 municipalities and 31 countries worldwide.

memory culture in public space

The stumbling block idea goes beyond Schwäbisch Gmünd and has established itself throughout Germany. Since the first laying in Cologne 27 years ago, the artist Gunter Demnig Tens of Thousand's stumbling blocks realized. The aim of the project is to make the stories of the Nazi victims visible and to motivate young people to deal with history. School classes in particular play an active role in research on the background of the victims, which promotes an individual examination of history.

In many cities, such as in Karlsruhe, there are diverse places of memory that have been created in recent decades. Historical memorial stones, memorial crosses and other initiatives were often initiated by committed citizens and redesigned public memory. Stadtgeschichte.Karlsruhe.de documents the changes in memory culture in this context.

The stumbling blocks are under memorization and memory of the victims of National Socialism and ask us not to forget the past. As a small but haunting memorials in public space, they invite you to reflect on the crimes of history and the responsibility of society in the present.