Press releases of Europa-Universität Flensburg (EUF)

Eine Gedenktafel erinnert nun im Ortkern von Quern an die deportierte Familie Rose

The plaque telling the story of the Rose family was unveiled during a special ceremony hosted by the municipality of Steinbergkirche on May 4, 2024 - the same day when, 85 years ago, police removed Katharina Rose and her three children from their home in Schiol and transported them to Flensburg. From there, the family was deported to the German-occupied General Government in Poland. When the forced labor camp where Katharina Rose and her children were held was disbanded in 1940, the family managed to return to Schiol—only to be denounced there by unknown individuals. As a consequence, Katharina Rose was sent to Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she died in 1944. Her son disappeared in Warsaw, while her two daughters were allowed to remain in Schiol with the father of one of the girls. It was not until the 1960s that Katharina Rose’s children reestablished contact with one another.

The new plaque in the center of Quern now stands as a lasting reminder of the family and their story. “We cannot undo the events of that time, but it is important to keep them in our memory,” said Jürgen Schiewer, mayor of Steinbergkirche.

Auch der Minderheitenbeauftragte der Landesregierung sprach ein Grußwort

Johannes Callsen, Minority Affairs Commissioner for the Schleswig-Holstein state government, also spoke at the ceremony. He praised the initiative by the municipality of Steinbergkirche as a vital community-driven contribution to commemorating the persecution of Sinti and Roma during the Nazi era: “The fate of Katharina Rose and her family in Schiol makes clear that the persecution of Sinti and Roma under National Socialism did not happen somewhere far away—it happened right here, in our immediate surroundings.”

Callsen emphasized that confronting the role of the state and its authorities in the past—and drawing lessons for the future—remains a critical topic. In this context, he pointed to various projects underway in Schleswig-Holstein, including the state parliament’s study on the persecution of Sinti and Roma in Schleswig-Holstein, a finance ministry study examining the role of tax authorities in disenfranchising and persecuting Sinti and Roma, and research projects at Europa-Universität Flensburg on the exclusion of Sinti and Roma and the history of antigypsyism. Callsen thanked everyone involved in the Steinbergkirche project, noting that they had contributed another important building block to the ongoing work of remembrance and warning.

Zur Gedenkveranstaltung kamen viele Menschen aus dem Ort zusammen

Rolf Schlotter, deputy chair and spokesperson for the Schleswig-Holstein regional association of the German Sinti and Roma, praised the project with these words:
“Remembrance must not be an empty ritual; it must be a commitment to firmly oppose discrimination and exclusion today and in the future. The regional association sees this memorial plaque as an important step toward preserving the dignity of the victims and actively taking historical responsibility.”