Stumbling Stones in Chemnitz
Hedwig Gertrud Stern
Hedwig Gertrud Stern
Born: 04 November 1888
Died: 29.09.1977
Godmother: VHS Chemnitz
Installation location:
Geibelstraße 40Stumbling stone laying on:
5 December 2019
Life path
Gertrud Stern, born on 4 November 1888 in Mittweida, graduated from the women's social education seminar at the Henriette Goldschmidt School in Leipzig. As a state-certified nursery school teacher and youth leader, she subsequently also trained as a welfare nurse and worked as a teacher for the Free Religious Community in Frankfurt/Main between 1918 and 1920. She then moved to Chemnitz to work for this congregation as well. Dr Hans Keller, the director of the local adult education centre, became aware of her in autumn 1921 and recommended to the administrative committee that the convinced Social Democrat be accepted as a new member. She thus became the voice of the women's movement at the adult education centre.
In the autumn of 1925, the "Women's Issues Community" was founded, which from then on was under her leadership. In autumn 1932, Gertrud Stern wanted to show her audience "ways through the confusion" of the time in a lecture. In March 1933, however, the adult education centre was closed. Gertrud Stern, who was still a careers counsellor at the employment office at the time, had also been involved in the Chemnitz Peace Cartel as its chairwoman. She was even nominated as a candidate for the Reichstag by the local branch of the SPD in 1930. On 9 March 1933, Gertrud Stern was arrested at the employment office and taken into "protective custody" for writing and distributing a leaflet critical of the regime. She was only released on 5 November 1933 because her mother was dying.
In July 1944, she was arrested again as part of "Aktion Gitter". As a former SPD city councillor, she was subjected to "harsh interrogation". She was only released for the time being at the request of her elderly father. During the Anglo-American air raids on the city, Gertrud Stern lost all her possessions on the night of the bombing on 5/6 March 1945.
Stumbling Stones in Chemnitz
It is a project against forgetting: stumbling stones have been laid in Chemnitz every year since 2007.
Embedded in the pavement, the memorial stones commemorate the tragic fates of fellow citizens who were persecuted, deported, murdered or driven to their deaths during the National Socialist regime.
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