“Why here?” you might ask, standing before the Gedenktafel Köpenicker Blutwoche Plaque. This plaque marks a site of immense suffering. It stands as a stark reminder of the “Köpenick Week of Blood”. This terrible event unfolded in late June 1933. It marked a dark chapter in Berlin’s history.
The Köpenicker Blutwoche was a peak of early SA terror in Berlin. SA storm troopers abducted and tortured around 500 people. These victims were Jews and political opponents. At least 23 people died during this week of horror. The terror was unleashed after Adolf Hitler’s rise to power.
The Nazis banned the Deutschnationaler Kampfring and the SPD. This ban served as a pretext for arrests. The violence escalated when SPD member Anton Schmaus shot three storm troopers in self-defense. Joseph Goebbels exploited the deaths for propaganda. He glorified the storm troopers as martyrs of the Nazi movement.
The Gedenkstätte Köpenicker Blutwoche, the memorial, situates these events. It highlights the flexible cooperation between NSDAP and state authorities. The Nazis were surprised by how much violence they could get away with. Police, justice system, and society did not intervene.
The Köpenicker Blutwoche exposes a total failure of civil society. The district court jail in Köpenick was a coordination point. It was used for the arrest and torture of prisoners. A permanent exhibition opened in June 2013, the 80th anniversary. It tells the story of the Köpenick Week of Blood.
Visiting the Gedenkstätte Köpenicker Blutwoche is free. It is open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10 am to 6 pm. Saturdays and Sundays it is open from 2 pm to 6 pm. You can reach it by taking the S3 train to Köpenick station. From there, it is a short walk to Mandrellaplatz.
The Gedenktafel Köpenicker Blutwoche is more than a historical marker. It is a call to remember. It urges us to prevent such atrocities from ever happening again. It serves as a warning about the dangers of unchecked power and the importance of standing up for justice. Let us reflect on this dark past. Let us ensure that the lessons of the Köpenicker Blutwoche are never forgotten.