A memorial site has been opened on the grounds of the EVIM on the Geisberg in Wiesbaden, featuring a monument designed by Nabo. It commemorates the children and young people who, during the Nazi era, were taken from the former Protestant reform schools on the Geisberg and transferred to state-run institutions; at least four of them fell victim to the Nazi ‘euthanasia’ crimes.
Nabo spent over a year and a half engaging intensively with this task and this history. It was clear from the outset that this was not merely an artistic commission, but a profound human responsibility.
Beneath the old cedar tree, which has watched over the Geisberg for over 180 years, a place of remembrance has thus been created. A place of memory. A place that calls on us to look and to listen.
The cedar was once planted to provide shade. Today, it bears the scars of storms and needs our help. Nabo has therefore designed stelae to support the tree. Incorporated into these stelae are illuminated display cases showing the names of the children who were deprived of their rights, abducted and murdered. Alongside the names, poems and quotations are played, reminding us and serving as a warning: NEVER AGAIN!
Two of the three stelae support the tree; the third stands free.
Location: EVIM, Jonas-Schmidt-Straße 2, 65193 Wiesbaden
Illumination: The times at which the installation will be illuminated are yet to be announced.
The narrative and cautionary supports are not merely for show;
where they bear a branch, they actually fulfil a supporting function, helping the cedar to bear its old branches under heavy snow loads and cushioning dangerous gusts of wind.
In one spot, the prop stands alone, supporting no branch, a reminder of the tree that once served as a shield against rain and the harsh sun for all who passed by.
This cedar, which for generations has given young and old alike a secure sense of safety, now needs our support.
This tree, which has provided us all with life-sustaining oxygen for centuries, now needs our care and support; it tells of the horrors of history and reminds us of the terrors of the past.
Thus it becomes a symbol for us, an emblem of caring community.
The cedar does not remain silent….
