Evening Event 33^rd Stolperstein Laying

On the occasion of the 33^rd Stolperstein Laying, the Würzburg Theatre (Theaterfabrik Blaue Halle) was full of people who had come to see the event called “VISIBLE”. It was jointly planned by the theatre, (Oliver Mayer (dramaturge of the theatre), the WUF- Centre (local LBQT-Centre) and the AK Stolpersteine (Stumbling Stones Initiative). An interesting and varied programmme put together by the theatre’s dramaturge Oliver Mayer “VISIBLE” vividly revealed how German society dealt with queer people before, during and after the Nazi era.

The artistic director of the theatre, Markus Trabusch, and Würzburg’s Director of Cultural Affairs, Achim Könneke, welcomed the audience. The performance of the choir “Sotto Voce” (LBQT Choir) alternated with literary texts recited by actors and dance interludes by the Würzburg ballet company. In his speech, Axel Hochrein, long-time chairman of the Lesbian and Gay Association in Germany, concentrated on the fate of homosexuals in the post-war period, noting that after 1945 people were still being ostracized, arrested and convicted because of their sexual identity. Article 175 (German Criminal Code) was in force until 1994, and it was not until 2002 that queer people were fully rehabilitated by the German Parliament. A video installation marked the end of an informative, impressive evening which will have given many of those present food for thought.

Pictures taken by Alexander Kraus