Heidenau council bans new Stolpersteine in joint CDU and AfD vote

Council approves ban in secret ballot

The city council in Heidenau, a municipality near Dresden in Saxony, voted on Thursday evening to prohibit the installation of new Stolperstein memorial stones on public pavements and streets. Thirteen council members voted in favour of the measure in a secret ballot, while six voted against and one abstained. The motion was submitted jointly by local representatives of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU), the Alternative for Germany (AfD), and the Citizens' Initiative Upper Elbe for More Democracy (BOD). Cooperation between the CDU and AfD drew scrutiny prior to the vote because CDU federal policy prohibits collaboration with the AfD. The municipal administration had formally advised against the joint initiative, but a council majority rejected the administration's recommendation.

Relocation of remembrance to the cemetery

Under the approved resolution, future applications to lay Stolpersteine in public street and pedestrian areas will be rejected. The decision instead directs the municipality to establish or expand a central memorial site, preferably at the town's Nordfriedhof (North Cemetery). The motion stipulates that any future commemorative elements at the cemetery must be constructed so that direct stepping onto the memorial elements is excluded. Proponents from the CDU, AfD, and BOD argued that placing brass plaques directly into walkways leads passers-by, deliberately or unconsciously, to tread on the names of victims. During the council session, one supporter argued that victims were being trampled underfoot in the street, while an AfD representative asserted that stones had been spat on in Berlin.

Blocked installation and memorial history

The council initiative arose after the Alternative Cultural and Educational Centre Saxony submitted a proposal to lay seven new Stolpersteine across the town. Heidenau currently has five Stolpersteine installed at two distinct locations within its borders. The municipality placed its first stone in 2021 to commemorate the former local mayor Paul Gröger. In 2023, four additional stones were laid to honour members of the Reiner family, a local Jewish merchant family persecuted under the Nazi regime. The approval of the joint motion blocks the installation of the seven planned plaques in public walkways, redirecting future initiatives to the cemetery.

Municipal administration opposition and council floor debates

The Heidenau municipal administration formally recommended rejecting the ban before the vote, arguing that remembrance of Nazi victims is a whole-of-society responsibility. In its recommendation, the administration noted that memorials should remain visible in the urban landscape and woven into the daily lives of residents. Officials stressed that the core feature of the Stolperstein project is the physical connection to the former homes and workplaces of the persecuted. The administration concluded that while a central site on the Nordfriedhof could supplement decentralized memorials, it could not serve as an equal replacement. Katja Demnig, managing director of the Stolperstein Foundation, criticized the cooperation of democratic parties on the motion.

I find it extremely alarming that democratic parties are supporting the motion. This is an absolutely unique process.