Stumbling Stone Hackstraße 24

This small, brass memorial plaque (Stolperstein or stumbling stone) commemorates:

* Irene Winter, born 1940, deported 1943, murdered June 1943 in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Irene Winter was born on 31 July 1940. Her mother, Martha Winter, was not allowed to marry her father because a court would not issue the documents. Martha and Irene lived in a rented apartment in a building at the back of Hackstraße 24. In the spring of 1942, Martha took Irene to Metz. A year later they were arrested there and returned to Stuttgart. Soon afterwards, in March 1943, they were deported in cattle cars with over 200 other Sinti to Auschwitz. A month later, Irene became ill and was taken away from her mother and put into the "infirmary." Josef Mengele, who became head "physician" in the Gypsy camp in May, issued a death certificate for Irene on 26 June 1943, but what he did to her before her death is unknown. She was not even 3 years old.

One list of names of Sinti and Roma victims included Irene’s mother. Reflecting the difficulties in verifying records, the dates of death of both Irene and her mother Martha Winter were listed as 01 April 1943.

"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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