Stumbling Stone Wismarer Straße 18a

This small brass memorial plaque (Stolperstein or stumbling stone) commemorates Wilhelm Nowak.

* Here was executed by hanging on 22 August 1944 Wilhelm Nowak, born 1922, held in a concentration camp 1940-1944, slave laborer.

Wilhelm Nowak was born in Germany to Polish parents. He was sent to Sachsenhausen in 1940 as a slave laborer in a textile factory. In June 1944, he and another prisoner, Richard Schmeing, escaped. They were found by a search team looking for someone else -- a downed British pilot. The two laborers were returned to Sachsenhausen, to a punishment unit. Nowak was said to have resisted arrest and injured a policeman with a knife. He was sentenced to death without a trial. With a coffin and a portable gallows, he was taken to a satellite camp in Lichterfelde to be hanged in front of all the Lichterfelde prisoners. He was 22.

"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."

Do you have more information about this location? Inform us!