Memorial for the murdered Jews of Wiesbaden

The memorial for the Jews of Wiesbaden who were murdered by the National Socialists between 1939 and 1945 was built on the site of the former synagogue. The central component is the "Namenband" (name ribbon), on which all of the 1,507 victims known to date are listed by name with dates of their lives. The project was awarded the architecture prize "Exemplary Buildings" by the Hessian Chamber of Architects.

The new memorial does not claim to interpret history in any particular way. It invites one to seek a personal interpretation and to confront the process of coming to terms with the Holocaust. The memorial is open. Open to the city, the spatial environment and the thoughts of visitors.
The site of the former synagogue becomes the site of contemporary activities. The memorial space refers to the size of the synagogue, the height of the walls to the surrounding buildings. Wall panels made of approximately seven meter high layered natural stone slabs with sawn faces delimit the space. On the roughly broken stone surface of the memorial space and on the roadway, the footprint of the synagogue is reproduced. A ribbon about one meter high, running around at eye level, bears the names of the victims. The ribbon is set five centimeters into the wall. Stones of remembrance" can be laid on the edge thus created.
A double square is created at the centre of the design idea, consisting of the memorial and the Michelsberg town entrance, with the memorial square exposing and retaining the site of the former synagogue. The square areas created in this way and the adjoining parts of the city are connected by new footpaths.