KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele

What if these stones could talk? What stories of unimaginable suffering would they whisper to us here at the KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele? This unassuming stele, made of concrete and clay, stands as a stark reminder of a horrific chapter in history, the death march from the KZ Fürstengrube. The KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele in Lübeck is one of several erected in 1999 to commemorate the victims of this brutal forced march. The original march began in January 1945, as the Red Army approached the Fürstengrube concentration camp, a subcamp of Auschwitz. Over a thousand prisoners, mostly of Jewish heritage, were forced on this death march to Gliwice. The KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele silently testifies to the horrors they endured. From Gliwice, they were crammed into open train cars, transported to the KZ Mittelbau-Dora in Nordhausen, Germany. Many perished from the brutal conditions, freezing to death in the sub-zero temperatures. The KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele marks a later stage of this horrific journey. After a month in Mittelbau, around 200 survivors were marched to Magdeburg, joined by 300 others. They were then herded onto a barge and shipped along the Elbe and Elbe-Lübeck Canal, arriving in Lübeck’s industrial harbor in April 1945. The KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele in Lübeck stands near the Gustav-Radbruch-Platz, a poignant marker along this route of suffering. From Lübeck, the prisoners were forced to march another 17 kilometers to Ahrensbök. Along the way, many more were murdered. Some found a semblance of refuge in barns near Ahrensbök, until the end of April. Some were even rescued by the Swedish Red Cross in the White Buses operation, led by Count Folke Bernadotte. But the ordeal wasn’t over. The KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch ended in tragedy. In early May, the remaining prisoners were marched to Neustadt and loaded onto the ships Cap Arcona and Thielbek. Both ships were tragically sunk by the Royal Air Force, killing thousands, including many of the death march survivors. The KZ Fürstengrube-Todesmarsch Stele in Lübeck serves as a sobering reminder of this tragic journey. It urges us to remember the victims and to never forget the inhumanity they suffered.