What stories do these stones tell at Mahnmal am Bahnhof Fischerhof? This memorial stands as a stark reminder of a dark chapter in history. It commemorates all victims of National Socialism.
The Mahnmal am Bahnhof Fischerhof marks a place of immense suffering. It is a place where thousands were deported to their deaths. From this very station, the Gestapo orchestrated seven transports. These transports carried Jewish people to ghettos and extermination camps. Their destinations included Riga, Warsaw, Auschwitz, and Theresienstadt.
Between 1941 and 1944, over 2,174 Jewish people were deported from here. They had been gathered at the Israelitische Gartenbauschule in Ahlem. Imagine the fear and uncertainty they must have felt.
One particular deportation stands out. On March 31, 1942, 491 people waited in heavy rain. For five hours, they shivered and waited for a delayed train. The Gestapo then forced them into overcrowded wagons.
The Mahnmal am Bahnhof Fischerhof also remembers the Sinti people. In early March 1943, the Kriminalpolizeistelle Hannover organized a transport to Auschwitz. About 100 Sinti from Hannover and at least 25 from the surrounding areas were sent to the “family camp” in Auschwitz-Birkenau.
But the Bahnhof Fischerhof was not only a departure point. It was also a place of arrival for forced laborers. Prisoners from Ravensbrück, Mauthausen, and Auschwitz arrived here. They were destined for forced labor in Hannover’s many armaments factories. Over 500 camps existed.
In a final act of brutality, Gestapo members murdered hundreds of forced laborers. This happened just before the US troops marched into Hannover. The perpetrators buried the bodies on the Seelhorster Friedhof. They tried to hide their crimes. The Ehrenfriedhof am Maschsee-Nordufer has stood as a memorial since 1945.
The Mahnmal am Bahnhof Fischerhof was created by the Niedersächsischer Verband Deutscher Sinti e. V. It was dedicated on March 1, 1996. The memorial’s design evokes the two tablets of the Ten Commandments. Above the inscription “For all victims of National Socialism,” are two symbols. These are traditionally found on Sinti gravestones.
One symbol is a “Z”. This is the mark that Sinti and Roma were forced to wear in concentration camps. The other is the Star of David. It symbolizes the Jewish people.
The Niedersächsische Verband Deutscher Sinti consciously dedicated this memorial to all victims. The association wanted to make a statement. Sinti and Roma were often forgotten in other Holocaust memorials.
Take a moment to reflect here. Remember the suffering and the lives lost. The Mahnmal am Bahnhof Fischerhof serves as a reminder. It urges us to never forget. It calls on us to stand against all forms of hatred and discrimination.