Stumbling Stone Straßburger Straße 24

This memorial plaque (Stolperstein or stumbling stone) commemorates:
* Josef Nawrocki, born 1880, arrested June 1936, Brandenburg Prison, Sonnenburg Prison, dead 27 April 1941.

Josef Nawrocki joined the social-democratic party when he was 18. He was injured fighting for Germany in WW1 and could no longer work as a foundry mechanic. He became an unskilled office worker in 1919, and then joined the communist party (KPD) the next year, becoming increasingly active. In 1924, he and his wife Clara went into hiding and was convicted of treason along with others in 1925. After living in the Soviet Union, the Nawrockis returned to Germany in 1928 and had a newspaper shop. He was given amnesty. But He was arrested the night of the 1933 Reichstag fire and held for 4 weeks. The Nazis closed the shop, but Nawrocki and colleagues continued their anti-nazi activities. He and over 100 others were arrested in 1936 and tortured. He tried to kill himself to avoid giving information, but he did not succeed and the Nazis stopped. In 1937 the Court sentenced him to 8 years in prison. Josef Nawrocki died four years later in Sonnenburg Prison due to the consequences of his treatment in prison. Near the end of the war, his widow hid his son, who had deserted from the German Army, and both survived the war.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries & Anne Palmer
• Photos: Thom Quine (1)
• Photos: OTFW (2)
• Stolpersteine in Berlin: Josef Nawrocki
• Stolpersteine.eu