Story perspectives

Heidenau Council Halts Future Stolpersteine Holocaust Plaques

By Drooid · Sep 27, 2026, 6:12 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Heidenau city council voted to halt future Stolpersteine Holocaust memorial plaque installations.
The motion received support from councilors of the far-right Alternative for Germany and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said he was “ashamed” of the decision.
Schleswig-Holstein state commissioner for political education Christian Meyer-Heidemann called the ban “a deliberate attack on our culture of remembrance”.

History

Historical Context

Artist Gunter Demnig placed the first Stolpersteine in Cologne’s city-hall square in January 1995, launching a memorial network that reached over 70,000 brass plaques across Europe by 2023. In September 2026 the town council of Heidenau voted to ban further stones, echoing earlier municipal opposition such as Munich’s 2004 rejection by CDU-led officials.

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Story summary

Heidenau city council voted to halt future Stolpersteine Holocaust memorial plaque installations.
The motion received support from councilors of the far-right Alternative for Germany and the centre-right Christian Democratic Union.
Israel’s ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said he was “ashamed” of the decision.
Schleswig-Holstein state commissioner for political education Christian Meyer-Heidemann called the ban “a deliberate attack on our culture of remembrance”.

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