“Das ist die Wiese Zittergras und das ist der Weg Lebwohl.” This quote from Christine Lavant greets us here at the Gedenkort für die Opfer der Kindereuthanasie-Verbrechen Sculpture. It is a poignant welcome to a place of remembrance. This memorial is dedicated to the children murdered during the Nazi “euthanasia” program.
Leipzig was sadly a center for these horrific crimes. Between 1939 and 1945, the Nazis systematically murdered children with mental and physical disabilities. The program was centrally controlled from Berlin. It involved local authorities, hospitals, doctors and nurses.
“Kinderfachabteilungen” or children’s specialist units were established. This name was a cruel disguise. These units were where children were sent to be killed. Families were deceived. They were told their child had died of natural causes.
The first recorded murder of a disabled child took place in Leipzig in 1939. Professor Werner Catel was involved. Two “Kinderfachabteilungen” existed in Leipzig. From October 1940 to December 1943, at least 551 children were murdered at the Leipzig-Dösen institution. They were killed through poison administration. Some victims came from other parts of Germany. Some were children of forced laborers. After bombings, the killing center moved to Großscheidnitz. There, roughly 300 more children were murdered. The other “Kinderfachabteilung” was at the Leipzig University Clinic. The number of victims there is unknown.
In Leipzig, doctors and nurses murdered over 800 children. The exact number is impossible to determine because documents were lost. Historians estimate that at least 5,000 children and teenagers were murdered in over 30 “Kinderfachabteilungen”. If you include young people murdered in other “euthanasia” actions, the number could be 10,000.
The Gedenkort für die Opfer der Kindereuthanasie-Verbrechen Sculpture was created to remember these victims. Since 2011, a memorial path in Friedenspark has commemorated these children and teenagers. The memorial is near the burial site of about 100 children. They were buried in urn graves.
Landscape architect Antje Schuhmann designed the memorial. It features a winding path in a garden lined with trees. The design incorporates the quote from Christine Lavant’s poem. Lavant suffered from physical and mental illness throughout her life.
The Gedenkort für die Opfer der Kindereuthanasie-Verbrechen Sculpture does not demand attention. It invites quiet reflection. It connects the past and present. It provides a space to remember.
After the war, very few perpetrators were brought to justice. Many continued their careers without consequence. This included Werner Catel. He was involved in the first murder and was a key evaluator in Berlin.
The Gedenkort für die Opfer der Kindereuthanasie-Verbrechen Sculpture stands as a reminder of the horrors of the Nazi “euthanasia” program. It urges us to remember the victims and learn from the past. It also reminds us how important it is to protect the vulnerable.