The Kohnstein and Singer families, until recently forgotten names of the Holocaust victims, are returning to the public memory of the Maribor City. Their presence in the form of stumbling stones should symbolically end the silence and awake the beginning of permanent memory; when stumbling against their names (written on the stones) you shall remember them.
Gunter Demnig’s art project ‘Stolpersteine‘ has been taking place since 1994. Following the principle ‘one Stolperstein for one name’, the project revives the identities of until recently nameless and forgotten Nazi victims. Data on individual victims are engraved into monuments in the form of standardized cobble-stones with brass plaques fixed onto them. Such cobble-stones were already laid in many cities across Europe whilst they will be laid for the first time in Slovenia.
Programme:
9.30
– Nasipna ulica 68 (Maribor’s Pobrežje neighbourhood):
Laying of the stumbling stones in order to commemorate Drago Singer, Erna Singer (born Kohnstein) and Milan Singer
– Ulica Borcev za severno mejo 2:
Laying of the stumbling stones in order to commemorate Jeannet Kohnstein (born Blum), Pavla Kohnstein and Viljem Kohnstein
12.00
– corner of the Ulica kneza Koclja 2 and Glavni trg (city centre):
Closing ceremony with the laying of the stumbling stones in order to commemorate Marija Singer (born Zeissler), Arnošt Kohnstein, Olga Kohnstein (born Singer), Rudolf Kohnstein, Milica Kohnstein and Gizela Kohnstein.
The audience will be addressed by the President of the Republic of Slovenia Dr. Danilo Türk, who will lay the last stone together with the representatives of the Jewish Community of Slovenia and the Municipality of Maribor. Other stones will be laid by the author of the project – Mr Gunter Demnig.
The project ‘Stolpersteine’ is a programme of the Maribor 2012 – European Capital of Culture. At the same time the project represents an important part of the Synagogue’s project Shoah – Let Us Remember, which is co-funded by Task Force for International Cooperation on Holocaust Education, Remembrance, and Research (ITF).
