- Initial production of commemorative project "MemoriAHR": initial stele manufacture
The "MemoriAHR" remembrance initiative for the 2021 flood calamity in the Ahr valley is still moving forward. Already, initial steel pillars for the monument project have been manufactured, shared Annette Holzapfel from the leading citizen group.
During a Wednesday evening event, there was an informative session about the project, where one of the monuments was even set up outside for public viewing, according to Holzapfel. The objective is to erect 34 monuments alongside the Ahr, which will serve as a memorial of the 2021 flood catastrophe and also display the "impressive" unity in the Ahr valley. This includes a digital exhibition: This year, firsthand videos from the flood-stricken night are to be published on the digital cultural heritage portal from the state.
In the 2021 flood disaster, 136 lives were lost in Rhineland-Palatinate, with 135 casualties occurring in the Ahr valley. One individual is still unaccounted for. Countless homes were demolished, and streets and bridges were swept away.
Holzapfel expresses optimism that many monuments will be installed at the beginning of 2025. "And I'm hoping that by the end of the year, most, if not all of them, will be installed," she said. "But it ultimately depends on the rebuilding process." The monuments will also record the floodwater levels that night. They will create a path of remembrance through the Ahr valley. "For us, it was always crucial that we represent the entire Ahr, we represent all its people," she concluded.
At the Wednesday evening event, Holzapfel mentioned the plan to set up the monuments outside for public viewing, including the one near 'Ahr'. The initiative aims to install 34 monuments along the 'Ahr', each memorializing the impact of the 2021 flood catastrophe in the 'Ahr valley'.
