This plaque was designed by Professor Karl Clauss Dietel. The text was provided by the historian Dr. Jürgen Nitsche. The plaque documents the deportation of Jews from the Chemnitz train station from 1938-1943 and incorporates symbols of suffering and of life.
This memorial stone was erected in memory of the Jews who were in the years 1942-1945 forcibly brought to this courtyard before further deportation to the concentration camps where they were horribly and systematically murdered. The sculptor Volker Beier designed the stone in the shape of the Star of David.
The brothers Simon and Salman Schocken commissioned Erich Mendelssohn to design and build this magnificent and modern Schocken department store. The five-story store opened on May 15 1930. Function and ownership changed many times in the years 1933-1991. Astonishingly, the building was barely affected by the bombing of Chemnitz on March 5 1945.
As the Jewish population expanded throughout the 19th century the Jewish community decided in 1895 to build an imposing place of worship. The architect Wenzel Bürger won the contract to design and build the synagogue. On the “Pogromnacht”, the night of November 9-10 1938, just 40 years after its inauguration, the synagogue was burned down and completely destroyed. This monument was erected in its memory in 1988.
The world famous author and honorary citizen of Chemnitz, Stefan Heym (nom de plume) was born at this address on April 10 1913. His birth name was Helmut Flieg. The original house was destroyed in the bombing of Chemnitz on March 5 1945.
In 1919 the Flieg family, having profited from a flowering business, moved to this imposing building. Unfortunately they had to move back to the old house when in 1931 they were met with financial difficulties.
The Jewish Cemetery was established in 1878. As the Jewish population continued to grow, the cemetery needed to be regularly expanded. Despite abandonment and vandalism during the Nazi period, the cemetery today stretches over 9,580 square meters. The cemetery is open to the public as a protected historical site. Approximately 1,400 people are buried here.