Stumbling Stones Hübschmannstraße 26

These memorial plaques (Stolpersteine or stumbling stones) commemorate:
* Hans Hartmann, born 1888, arrested 1940, Sachsenhausen, Neuengamme, dead 5 February 1940 Dachau.
* Regina Hartmann née Flieg, born 1892, deported 1942, Auschwitz, murdered.

Hans Hartmann served Germany in World War I and studied law at the University of Leipzig. He married Regina Flieg in 1920, and together they had two sons, Walter (born 1922) and Horst Henry (born 1926). Hans Hartmann became increasingly involved in the Jewish community – first as lawyer and notary, then also in Jewish associations and aid organizations. He also served as vice president and president of the Saxonia Loge in the 1920s. He was an avid collector of books. With the rise of Nazi power and antisemitism, the Hartmanns faced difficulties. In 1935, Regina’s brother Daniel Flieg committed suicide in Chemnitz. Hans lost his notary’s license that same year and then his lawyer’s license in 1938. He was allowed to work as a "Jewish consultant" until the end of 1938. He was arrested on Kristallnacht (9/10 November 1938) and detained at Buchenwald for 8 weeks. After his release, he tried several times without success to secure the documents to leave Germany -- the US, Brazil, Shanghai, Haiti. In 1939, however, with the help of Kindertransport, Hans and Regina were able to get their sons to safety in England.

Because Hans Hartmann had been elected to the board of the Chemnitz Jewish Religious Community, he was also part of a similar Jewish organization which was established by Nazi orders six months later. So, he was able to continue to serve the Jewish community until he was taken away again in 1940 – this time to Sachsenhausen, followed by Dachau.

Regina tried to get him released. She apparently was living in Berlin when she was deported to Auschwitz in 1942.

In Chemnitz are stolpersteine for Hans Hartmann's three sisters at Brauhausstraße 1, and a stolperstein for Daniel Fried at Gerhard-Hauptmann-Platz 13.

"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."

For more information and pictures, please visit Stolpersteine Chemnitz (in German).

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries & Anne Palmer
• Photos: Treem
• Stadt Bibliothek Chemnitz: "Vertrieben – vernichtet – verbrannt"
• Stolpersteine für Familie Hartmann
• Stolpersteine.eu