The black metal monolith stands silent, a sombre reminder of a dark chapter in Mannheim’s history. This is the Mahnmal für die Sinti-Opfer, a memorial dedicated to the Sinti and Roma who were persecuted and murdered during the Nazi era. It sits unassumingly near the Friedensengel, a monument to all Mannheimer victims of the Holocaust. The square where the Mahnmal stands is often used as a parking lot and the memorial itself is easily missed if you are not paying attention. This lack of prominence has led to some criticism.
The Mahnmal is more than just a simple black box, it is a testament to the resilience and strength of the Sinti and Roma community. It was created by students and teachers of the Mercedes-Benz training workshop, a testament to the community’s spirit of coming together to remember and honour those who were lost. A plaque on the memorial bears the inscription, “In memory of the Sinti of Mannheim who fell victim to the genocide of the National Socialists.” The inscription is a poignant reminder of the suffering endured by those who were targeted for extermination simply because of their ethnicity.
The Mahnmal also serves as a reminder of the long-standing prejudice and discrimination that Sinti and Roma have faced in Germany. Despite the horror of the Holocaust, the Mahnmal is relatively new, it was inaugurated in 1997. It was the initiative of the Association of German Sinti and Roma – State Association Baden-Württemberg, particularly its deputy chairwoman Ilona Lagrene, who championed its creation. In his speech at the inauguration Mayor Gerhard Widder, emphasized the city’s responsibility for a peaceful and democratic coexistence. He said, “The city of Mannheim has a proud tradition of freedom and democracy. It has always shown itself to be cosmopolitan and liberal. Yet, here too, the brown terror reigned, and the inhumanity and cruelty of the Nazi regime could not be prevented. We know that what happened from 1933 onwards had roots much earlier, when the first German democracy proved too weak to defend itself against its enemies. It is our responsibility to contribute to the fact that nothing comparable will ever happen again, to ensure that hatred and exclusion of minorities because of their race, state and religion, cannot develop in our democracy.”
The Mahnmal für die Sinti-Opfer, while understated, is a powerful symbol of remembrance and hope. It is a reminder that we must never forget the victims of the Holocaust and that we must continue to fight against all forms of prejudice and discrimination. It is a testament to the resilience of the Sinti and Roma community, and a reminder that we all have a responsibility to create a more just and equitable world.