Located on Hermann-Ehlers-Platz in Berlin's Steglitz district is a memorial wall encased in mirrors. It serves as a reminder of the synagogue which was once located in the courtyard of a neighbouring house and commemorates the deportation of the Berlin Jews.
Berlin, 2005, Steglitz Mirrored Wall Memorial, Stiftung Denkmal
In 1897, textile merchant Moses Wolfenstein had a remise in the courtyard of his town house in Steglitz - today a district of Berlin located in the south-west of the city - remodelled to a synagogue. This became the new seat of the »Religious Association of Jewish Fellow Believers in Steglitz«, which had been founded in 1878. Religious services, weddings, brit milahs, religious and cultural events as well as religion classes for Jewish children were held at the synagogue. During the »Kristallnacht« on November 9/10, 1938, members of the SA demolished and looted the synagogue, though it was not set on fire in order to protect neighbouring buildings.
In 1941, the authorities in the Reich capital Berlin began deporting Jews and expropriating their property. Already before the Wannsee conference of January 1942, nine large transports left for the newly established ghettos in the occupied east, carrying about 10,000 deportees. The deportations continued until spring 1945; a further 170 transports departed from Berlin. Only about 8,000 Berlin Jews were able to survive in Berlin and surrounding areas.
In 1941, the authorities in the Reich capital Berlin began deporting Jews and expropriating their property. Already before the Wannsee conference of January 1942, nine large transports left for the newly established ghettos in the occupied east, carrying about 10,000 deportees. The deportations continued until spring 1945; a further 170 transports departed from Berlin. Only about 8,000 Berlin Jews were able to survive in Berlin and surrounding areas.
Berlin, 2005, Steglitz Mirrored Wall Memorial, Stiftung Denkmal
About 50,000 Jews perished after being deported from Berlin. Many transports were headed for the ghettos in Theresienstadt, Minsk, Riga, Kaunas and Łódź. From July 1942 on, several transports carrying Berlin Jews went directly to Auschwitz-Birkenau or other death camps.
In 1933, there were over 3,000 Jewish residents in Berlin-Steglitz; in 1945, only 150 were left.
In 1933, there were over 3,000 Jewish residents in Berlin-Steglitz; in 1945, only 150 were left.
Berlin, 2008, Close-up of the Mirrored Wall Memorial, Stiftung Denkmal, Anne Bobzin
Berlin, 2005, Steglitz Mirrored Wall Memorial, Stiftung Denkmal
Since the end of the 1980s, the »Wolfenstein House Initiative« Association had undertaken efforts to purchase and renovate the former synagogue, which at the time had fallen into a state of dilapidation. The aim of the association to establish a memorial site and meeting place could not be accomplished. However, following lengthy and heated debates, the Steglitz Mirrored Wall Memorial could be inaugurated on Hermann-Ehlers-Platz, opposite the Steglitzer Kreisel highrise. Architects Wolfgang Göschel and Joachim von Rosenberg designed the memorial in cooperation with Berlin historian Hans-Norbert Burkert. Displayed on the wall are excerpts from deportation lists of Berlin Jews; a total of 1,723 names are listed, including 229 names of deportees from Steglitz. Moreover, the sides of the wall contain information on the history of Jews in Steglitz and on the synagogue. The synagogue has in the meantime been rebuilt and can today be found in the courtyard at Düppelstraße 41.
Berlin, 2008, Mirrored Wall Memorial, Stiftung Denkmal, Anne Bobzin
Berlin, 2008, Detailed view of the Mirrored Wall Memorial with the reflected Steglitz townhall, Stiftung Denkmal, Anne Bobzin
- Name
- Steglitzer Spiegelwand - Denkzeichen Ehemalige Synagoge Haus Wolfenstein
- Address
-
Düppelstr. 41
12163 Berlin - Phone
- +49 (0)30 791 623 9
- Open
- The memorial is accessible at all times.