Obj. ID: 58383 Holocaust Memorial at the Synagogue Site in Pömbsen, Germany, 1989, 2014
Memorial Name
No official name
Who/What is Commemorated?
desecrated synagogue and Jewish residents of Pömbsen, murdered in the Holocaust
Description:
The memorial is located on a street corner, next to house number 15 on Gerhard-Lödige-Straße. It covers an area of 7 x 11 meters.
The centerpiece and first memorial at this site is a boulder with a metal plaque dating from 1989. An arch of beech plants frames the boulder.
In 2014, on the occasion of the town's 1000th anniversary, several elements were added to the memorial: 100 standard roses were planted in a circle around the boulder. Each rose has a small ceramic plaque with the inscription “In memory of [name]” and a Star of David. They commemorate the ten Jewish families who lived here in 1933. The synagogue is commemorated with a historical photo of its façade printed on a tarpaulin measuring approximately. 3 x 2 m and a smaller picture of the interior. The tarpaulin lists some key data on the construction and furnishings. It is stretched across a metal frame. The floor is covered with pebbles.
Inscriptions:
In German:
Suchet der Stadt Bestes und betet für sie zum Herrn,
Jeremia 29,7
Dem Gedenken der Jüdischen Gemeinde in Pömbsen, deren Synagoge bis zum Jahre 1938 hier stand.
Translation: And seek the welfare of the city and pray to GOD / Jeremiah 29:7 // In memory of the Jewish community in Pömbsen, whose synagogue stood here until the year 1938
on the printed tarp:
Ehemalige Synagoge der Jüdischen Gemeinde in Pömbsen
Erbaut 1886 - Zerstört im November 1938 durch die Nationalsozialisten
ein achteckiger Bau aus Backsteinen, 40 Männer- und 30 Frauensitzplätze, kunstvoll gearbeiteter Thoraschein aus Holz, Fenster aus Buntglas in Blei gefasst, am 11. Juli 1936 feierte die Gemeinde den 50. Weihetag.
Translation: Former synagogue of the Jewish community in Pömbsen. Built in 1886 - Destroyed in November 1938 by the National Socialists. An octagonal brick building, seating 40 men and 30 women, artistically crafted wooden Torah ark, stained glass windows set in lead. On July 11, 1936, the community celebrated the 50th anniversary of its consecration.
Commissioned by
Germany | North Rhine-Westphalia (Nordrhein-Westfalen) | Bad Driburg
| Gerhard-Löddige-Straße, Pömbsen, today part of Bad Driburg
boulder stone: 1.20 x 1.40 x 80 cm, with a metall plaque 35 x 50 cm
metall frame with depiction of the synagogue: 2.95 m high and 2.59 m wide
The synagogue was built in 1886 as an octagonal structure with a pyramid roof - an unusual building for a small village. It was destroyed in 1938; its brick stones were used for the construction of apartment houses.
A boulder stone with a memorial plaque was situated on the site of the former synagogue, inaugurated on November 19, 1989.
In summer 2014, ten rose bushes were planted around the boulder to commemorate the Jewish families that lived in Pömpsen in 1933. The roses were donated by inhabitants of Pömpsen. In addition, a collage with depictions of the synagogue was established for the 1,000th anniversary celebrations of the village. The image was printed on a tarpaulin and stretched across a metal frame measuring 2.50 x approx. 3.00 m.
Brade, Anna Christine et al, Ich dachte, sie wären tot. NS-Mahnmale und Erinnerungsprozesse in Ostwestfalen-Lippe (Herford: Verlag für Regionalgeschichte, 1997), p. 28f.
Jengst, Karl and Ursula Olschewski (eds.), Historisches Handbuch der jüdischen Gemeinschaften in Westfalen und Lippe. Die Ortschaften und Territorien im heutigen Regierungsbezirk Detmold. (Münster: Ardey Verlag, 2013), p. 185f.
Pracht, Elfi, Jüdisches Kulturerbe in Nordrhein-Westfalen, vol. III (Regierungsbezirk Detmold) (Cologne: Bachem, 1998), pp. 155, 158.
"Pömbsen (Nordrhein-Westfalen),"
Aus der Geschichte der jüdischen Gemeinden im deutschen Sprachraum, https://www.xn--jdische-gemeinden-22b.de/index.php/gemeinden/p-r/1588-poembsen-nordrhein-westfalen.
Stadtmarketing Büren, Büren Historie. Auf den Spuren jüdischen Lebens (Büren, 2021)