Memory of the Köpenicker Blood Week: vigil and theater performance

Memory of the Köpenicker Blood Week: vigil and theater performance

Today, on May 23, 2025, the Treptow-Köpenick district is a significant commemoration of the victims of the “Köpenicker Blood Week”, a tragic chapter in German history. This wave of violence, which took place from June 21 to 26, 1933, was orchestrated by the SA under the direction of SA Sturmbannführer Herbert Gehrke and aimed to terrorize political opponents and in particular Jewish citizens. During this time, several hundred politically thinkers were kidnapped, tortured and murdered in many cases. At least 23 people had to let their lives, and the brutal attacks were open and took place in front of the public.

The "Köpenicker Blood Week" symbolizes the takeover of the National Socialists and is an example of the brutal displacement of criticism and resistance. Several events are planned on the occasion of memory of these terrible events. On June 21, 2025 at 6:00 p.m., Marco Brauchmann, the district councilor, opened a memorial event in the Köpenicker Blood Week memorial, located at Puchanstrasse 12 in Berlin. On June 22, 2025, a public leadership under the title "The role of women in the Köpenicker Blood Week - search for traces in the Elsengrund" is also offered. The tour begins at 3:00 p.m. at the Köpenick S-Bahn station, output Stellingdamm, and is free of charge and without registration.

memory by culture

A highlight of the commemoration is the performance of the puppet theater piece "If everything falls apart" by Susi Claus, which will also take place on June 22, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. in the memorial. The piece deals with the events and the consequences of the National Socialists' adhesion and torture wave. The staging is based on archives and discussions with the descendants of the victims. Admission to the performance is free, but registration is required at the email address museum@ba-tk.berlin.de. To ensure the safety of the participants, an exclusion for people from the right -wing extremist scene is given.

The events of the "Köpenicker Blood Week" are part of a larger context of National Socialist repression in Germany. During this time, the National Socialists decided to consolidate their violent plans, which not only led to the murder of countless civilians, but also to the long -term trauma of many survivors. Numerous victims were borrowed from lasting physical and psychological damage. The official records from this period vary in the number of dead, which is between 21 and 91, since many people simply disappeared.

important memorials

The importance of commemoration is underlined by the established memorials for victims of National Socialism, which were built throughout Germany and beyond, in order to remember the horror of the regime. An example of such a memorial in Berlin is the Köpenick Blood Week Memorial, which serves as a reminder of the victims of the events. These memorials should not only honor the victims, but also set a memorial against forgetting and educate future generations about the dangers of extremism and intolerance.

Further information and contact options for the commemoration can be found on the website of the Treptow-Köpenick museums, as well as on the phone number 030/90 297 3351. In recent years, the processing of these events has proven to be important and necessary in order not to forget the dark past.

In order to learn more details about the past violence and the associated memorial acts, we refer to [berlin.de] (https://www.berlin.de/ba-treptow-koepenick/aktuelles/pressemaytreungen/2025/Pressemage Department. Blutwoche)] (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/K%C3%B6penick%27S_WEEK_OF_BLOODSHED) and Wikipedia (Memorials for the victims National Socialism).