Berlin poses a challenge for the anti-fascist activist Bruno Schilter
In the heart of Berlin-Friedrichshain, the neighborhood initiative "We all stay Friedrichshain" is set to unveil a stumbling stone for Bruno Schilter on August 1st, 2023 1. This commemorative act honours a young antifascist communist who was brutally murdered by the Nazi regime during the early 1930s.
Bruno Schilter, a local resident well known for his political engagement with the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Red Aid (Rote Hilfe), became a direct victim of Nazi terror shortly after their rise to power 1. On the evening of July 31, 1933, Schilter was sitting on a bench at the Petersburger Platz with a friend after a skat evening. Recognized by SA members, the Nazi paramilitary group, he was abducted to a notorious local torture site known as "Keglerheim," also called "Ochsensturm" by workers 1. There, he was severely beaten before being taken to a nearby bridge, the Thaerbrücke, where he was executed by four gunshots by SA men 1.
Schilter’s murder serves as a stark reminder of early Nazi violent suppression of antifascist resistance in Friedrichshain and exemplifies the brutal tactics the Nazis used to instill fear and eliminate opponents in this Berlin neighborhood. His story was largely unknown to many post-1989 residents until recent research and commemorative efforts highlighted his role and sacrifice 1. A Stolperstein, a commemorative brass plaque embedded in the pavement, was placed for him in the area to honour his memory 2.
The stumbling stone for Bruno Schilter will be placed in front of the house at Richard-Sorge-Straße 16 (formerly Tilsiterstraße) 1. This event aims to make NS victim Schilter known in the neighborhood, encouraging residents to learn about and remember the local history of Nazi terror in Friedrichshain after 1933.
The commemoration of Bruno Schilter is not just a historical issue, but a means to counteract the electoral successes of the AfD and right-wing activities in the neighborhood 1. The branch of the neo-Nazi clothing brand Thor Steinar, which once opened at 94 Petersburger Street, attracted right-wing customers before closing in 2013 1.
Historian Oliver Reschke spoke about the history of NS terror in Friedrichshain at the Insel Gallery, while historian Trille Schünke-Bettinger reminded the significance of women in the fight against the National Socialists in her lecture on Thursday evening 1. The well-attended event on this Thursday aimed to make NS victim Schilter known in the neighborhood, with the poster "Murder Basement" pointing to a building at 94 Petersburger Street, once the infamous storming locale 'Keglerheim' 1.
Since 2013, regular city tours have offered the opportunity to explore the traces of anti-fascist resistance in Friedrichshain 3. More than 40 people were taken to the "Keglerheim" on July 31, 1933, many of whom were communists and trade unionists, making it a response to a mobilization of the illegal KPD for the anti-war day on August 1 1.
References:
- The unveiling of a stumbling stone for Bruno Schilter, a victim of Nazi terror in the early 1930s, in the heart of Berlin-Friedrichshain on August 1st, 2023, is not just a historical act, but a means to counteract the electoral successes of the AfD and right-wing activities in the neighborhood, as Schilter was a local resident known for his political engagement with the Communist Party of Germany (KPD) and the Red Aid (Rote Hilfe).
- The commemoration of Bruno Schilter, a young antifascist communist brutally murdered by the Nazi regime during the early 1930s, is also linked to the world of general-news and crime-and-justice, as his murder at the infamous Keglerheim (Ochsensturm) on July 31, 1933, serves as a stark reminder of early Nazi violent suppression of antifascist resistance in Friedrichshain and exemplifies the brutal tactics the Nazis used to instill fear and eliminate opponents in this Berlin neighborhood.
