The project cannot receive donations anymore.
Information stele at the Stalingrad memorial in Münster
A project from Stadtarchiv Münster in Münster, Germany
The Stalingrad Memorial only commemorates soldiers who took part in the Wehrmacht's invasion of the Soviet Union (SU). In the process, more than 20 million people from the SU died who are not mentioned there. We want to change that with the stele.
Already 7 donations.
Join in too!
The project cannot receive donations anymore.
About this project
Peter Worm from Stadtarchiv Münster is responsible for this project
The council of the city of Münster has decided on 24.6.2020 the installation of the information stelae at five war memorials on the "Promenade" and has approved the planned execution (locations, design and texts) on 19.5.2022. The Council also made the decision that people should be able to participate in the realization of the information stelae through donations. In this way a visible sign for peace and against war can be set. In the 375th year of the “Peace of Westphalia treaty”, the steles are to become a declaration of Münster as a city of peace. They should enable visitors and residents of the city to deal with a period of (city) history that needs to be explained.
About the Stalingrad Memorial:
The memorial was erected in 1961 on Münster's promenade near the current headquarters of the 1st German-Netherlands Corps on Schlossplatz. It commemorates soldiers of the 16th Panzer and 16th Infantry Divisions who took part in the German Wehrmacht's invasion of the Soviet Union and Stalingrad. Far more than 20 million people from the Soviet Union died during the invasion.
At the inauguration, the speakers emphasised the soldiers' willingness to make sacrifices and their sense of duty.
The senseless death of many civilian victims was not mentioned. More than 15 years after the end of the war in 1945, the memory remained one-sided. During this time, the rearmament of Germany in the Cold War prevented the military past from being dealt with. Since the 1990s, a reassessment began with the exhibition "Crimes of the Wehrmacht".
The stele to be built is intended to draw attention to the Wehrmacht's complicity in the Holocaust, mass shootings and deportations.
The history of the original memorial:
The "Kameradschaftsbund der 16. Panzer- und 16. Infanterie-Division" collected donations for the erection of the memorial.
The city of Münster provided the land free of charge and supplied the design.
The 16th Infantry Division was initially formed secretly in Münster in 1934. It took part in the attack on France in 1940. The 16th Panzer Division was formed in the same year by splitting the 16th Infantry Division. As the spearhead in the war of annihilation, the division was almost completely destroyed in Stalingrad in 1943 and subsequently reorganised.
Senior civil engineer Edmund Scharf designed the monument, which was made by sculptor Heinrich Sievers Jr. The plain ashlar obelisk shows the regiment names and the division insignia under the engraving "Stalingrad". Three battle sites are inscribed on other sides.
About the Stalingrad Memorial:
The memorial was erected in 1961 on Münster's promenade near the current headquarters of the 1st German-Netherlands Corps on Schlossplatz. It commemorates soldiers of the 16th Panzer and 16th Infantry Divisions who took part in the German Wehrmacht's invasion of the Soviet Union and Stalingrad. Far more than 20 million people from the Soviet Union died during the invasion.
At the inauguration, the speakers emphasised the soldiers' willingness to make sacrifices and their sense of duty.
The senseless death of many civilian victims was not mentioned. More than 15 years after the end of the war in 1945, the memory remained one-sided. During this time, the rearmament of Germany in the Cold War prevented the military past from being dealt with. Since the 1990s, a reassessment began with the exhibition "Crimes of the Wehrmacht".
The stele to be built is intended to draw attention to the Wehrmacht's complicity in the Holocaust, mass shootings and deportations.
The history of the original memorial:
The "Kameradschaftsbund der 16. Panzer- und 16. Infanterie-Division" collected donations for the erection of the memorial.
The city of Münster provided the land free of charge and supplied the design.
The 16th Infantry Division was initially formed secretly in Münster in 1934. It took part in the attack on France in 1940. The 16th Panzer Division was formed in the same year by splitting the 16th Infantry Division. As the spearhead in the war of annihilation, the division was almost completely destroyed in Stalingrad in 1943 and subsequently reorganised.
Senior civil engineer Edmund Scharf designed the monument, which was made by sculptor Heinrich Sievers Jr. The plain ashlar obelisk shows the regiment names and the division insignia under the engraving "Stalingrad". Three battle sites are inscribed on other sides.
Get informed and get involved
Become a fan and receive news and updates from the organization
Collect donations for this project together with your community
About
betterplace.org is the largest German donation platform. Since 2007 we have been helping people, aid organizations and companies to do good. All projects on betterplace.org are non-profit. Since we ourselves also do not work for profit, our platform is free of charge for the projects.
- 2007founded
- 15,000non-profit organisations
- 300m €for a good cause
