- Recently installed memorial honoring the sufferings of the Gestapo's casualties
A fresh commemorative plaque honors the victims of the Gestapo in Trier. This newly installed plaque is situated on the very structure that served as the principal headquarters for the Gestapo from 1935 till 1944. Presently, the premises also house the region's public prosecutor's office. The Gestapo, a.k.a. the clandestine state police, was the political law enforcement agency of the Nazi reign from 1933 to 1945.
By late 2014, a preliminary memorial plaque had been erected on the building's facade. Regrettably, the plaque went missing in the autumn of 2021, leaving Senior Public Prosecutor Peter Fritzen to inform us that "no wrongdoer was identified." There's a strong inkling that somebody had an issue with the building's ominous past being honored in the present.
The Trier public prosecutor's office took the lead to unveil this replacement plaque, which was positioned higher up the building, nestled between a couple of windows. "It adds to ensuring the past is never forgotten," Fritzen stated. The public prosecutor's office is keen on perpetuating the grim history associated with the building.
At the behest of the Trier public prosecutor's office, historians hailing from the University of Trier have been delving into different aspects of the Gestapo in the city since 2012. The catalyst for this exploratory work was the transfer of the public prosecutor's office to Christophstraße 1 at the end of 2011. Upon inspecting the building's subterranean levels, the public prosecutor's office discovered the inscription "Gestapo" etched onto a metal door, prompting them to reach out to historians with a request to chronicle the Gestapo's presence in Trier.
Several enlightening projects have sprung up since then, such as the establishment of the SEAL research and documentation center (Structures and Memory, Applied History and Digital Teaching) at the University of Trier in 2019. Now, the SEAL center dedicates itself to a variety of projects centered around political education, investigative history, and commemorative culture related to the Nazi era and its aftermath in the Greater Region.
Since late 2014, an exhibit showcasing 14 panels about the state police in Trier has likewise been on display within the Christophstraße 1 building.
The Trier public prosecutor's office, which played a significant role in the unveiling of the replacement plaque, is located at Christophstraße 1 in Trier. Due to the discovery of the "Gestapo" inscription on a metal door in the building's subterranean levels, the public prosecutor's office sought the assistance of historians from the University of Trier to explore the Gestapo's presence in Trier.
