Searching for traces Pforzheim
Search for traces and discover the moving fates of our former citizens. Find out more about the persecuted by the NS regime in Pforzheim. You are interested in the historical background? Watch the short video clips below! You want to know more about the persecuted? On our map you can see where they lived.
Explore the history of Pforzheim during the Nazi rule
- Movie 1 Jewish life before 1933
- Movie 2 The National Socialists‘ expansion of power
- Movie 3 Antisemitic measures
- Movie 4 Jewish students
- Movie 5 Pogrom night
- Movie 6 Deportation to Gurs
- Movie 7 Resistance
- Movie 8 Destruction of Pforzheim and the end of the war
- Information about the project
- Movie Searching for traces
- Movie Behind the scenes
Movie 1 – Jewish life before 1933
Movie 2 – The National Socialists‘ expansion of power
Movie 3 – Antisemitic measures
Movie 4 – Jewish students
Movie 5 – Pogrom night
Movie 6 – Deportation to Gurs
Movie 7 – Resistance
Movie 8 – Destruction and the end of the war
The project „Spurensuche Pforzheim“ (Searching for traces Pforzheim) deals with the life stories of those former Pforzheim citizens who were persecuted under National Socialism. The website emerged from a school project at the Hilda-Gymnasium in Pforzheim. In 2021 the movie „Searching for traces“ was created and broadcasted in the local cinema in Pforzheim. It shows the fates of the Jewish students and teachers of the Hilda school in Pforzheim:
The project work continues. Our goal is to research the city’s history during the Nazi rule and make the life stories visible. In order to do this, we look at documents in archives, interview contemporary witnesses and descendants and gradually publish the biographies on our digital map.
Two project groups from our school are currently working on the ongoing research. We are advised by Brigitte and Gerhard Brändle, whose decades of research work made it possible to come to terms with the regional history. We also cooperate with other schools and researchers:
- Project group Kepler-Gymnasium Pforzheim (in charge: Sandra Jost)
- Project group Osterfeld-Realschule Pforzheim (in charge: Myriam Mann-Rönna)
- Project group Reuchlin-Gymnasium Pforzheim (in charge: Katrin Schlittenhardt)
- Initiative Stolpersteine Pforzheim (head: Hans Mann)
- Christiane Bastian-Engelbert & Johannes Bastian (Historisch-Archäologischer Verein Mühlacker e.V.)
- Sabine Herrle (Freiburg)
- Caroline Kuppenheim (Geneva)
- Martin Walter (Rastatt)
The extensive research and project implementation are made possible by a large number of supporters – in particular the city archives and the cultural office of the city of Pforzheim. We would like to thank everyone who is committed to remembering in Pforzheim.
We welcome suggestions for improvement and constructive criticism.
