The city will join the association for the memorial and educational site

The city of Erlangen, along with other institutions, will become a founding member of a new association for the memorial and educational site on the grounds of the former mental health and nursing facility. This was decided by the General, Finance, and Personnel Committee of the Erlangen City Council.

Preserving the Memory of Nazi Crimes

The association plans to create an inclusive, interdisciplinary, innovative, and contemporary memorial and learning center in the Schwabachanlage building

• plan
• implement, and
• operate it in the future.

The purpose of the association is to promote remembrance and preserve the memory of Nazi crimes committed in sanatoriums and mental institutions, particularly at the former Erlangen Institution. This will also involve addressing current and future issues related to medical ethics, law, and research ethics.

"Hupfla" at the Schwabachanlage (Photo: Erich Malter)

The Bavarian State Ministry of the Interior, Sports, and Integration is leading the effort to establish the association. There is no membership fee. Additional institutional members may be admitted after the association is founded. As the project’s funding has not yet been finalized, the association hopes for further support from the Free State of Bavaria.

Scene of the Most Grave Crimes

The former sanatorium and nursing home, popularly known as “Hupfla,” was the scene of the most heinous crimes during the Nazi era. By mid-1941, more than 900 patients had been deported from Erlangen to extermination camps. Starting in 1942, at least another 1,000 people died there as a result of systematic starvation.

The Founding Office of the City of Erlangen and Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg is currently working on the legal and planning foundations while simultaneously developing educational and communication programs. A comprehensive series of events will begin in November.

For more information, visit https://www.str1.rw.fau.de