History Unveiled: Monuments Unearth Stories of Penitent Tenants and Murdered Forced Laborers
In a solemn ceremony, a memorial plaque was unveiled at the former restaurant 'Steinbecks Keller' in Peter-Weiss-Haus, located on Doberaner Straße, Rostock. The event was attended by Mayor Eva-Maria Kröger (Left) and members of the memorial initiative of the Peter-Weiss-Haus.
The memorial plaque serves as a poignant reminder of the forced laborers who endured harsh conditions while working in the Mahn & Ohlerich brewery during the National Socialist era. Tragically, due to a ban on using the brewery's air-raid shelter, twelve forced laborers lost their lives at the location of the memorial plaque in April 1942.
The forced laborers, predominantly French and Ukrainian, were subjected to inadequate food, accommodation, and hygiene, and lived in constant fear of arbitrariness and violence. Anne Geisler of the memorial initiative stated that not only their freedom, but also their dignity was taken away.
The building where the memorial plaque is now situated was originally built in 1884 for H. L. Rochow. However, restorer Jörg Schröder discovered that the building was not completed until 1888. From 1928, the villa was used by the Geological and Mineralogical Institute and the Geological Society. Prior to this, the University of Rostock had its seat in the city palace.
The city palace has been empty since 2010. As of June, the Rostock city villa on Wismarsche Straße is now owned by the WG Warnow housing cooperative, who plan to renovate the building in a historically appropriate manner. The city palace will not only serve as a living space but also as a reminder of its rich history.
The memorial plaque was installed a few hundred meters away from the former Drostenamt, a villa that was established by the Grand Ducal Ministry in 1906. The Institute for Epidemiology and Microbiology was the owner of the Drostenamt in Rostock before its repurposing by biologists in 1968. From 1968 to 2010, the building was used by biologists.
An interior video of the empty city palace offers a glimpse into its past grandeur, a stark contrast to the solemn memorial plaque that now stands in the former restaurant 'Steinbecks Keller'. The memorial plaque serves as a testament to the resilience of the forced laborers and a reminder of the dark chapters of Rostock's history.
