History Path to National Socialism

History Path to National Socialism

The Geschichtspfad zum Nationalsozialismus (History Path to National Socialism) in Tübingen's inner city will take participants to 16 authentic places of National Socialism. A main focus is the exclusion and prosecution of former Jewish citizens. The Geschichtspfad will consist of 16 stations. Each station—steles made out of steel—provides information on the history of a respective place. QR codes enable retrieving additional information. The Geschichtspfad is not organized in a specific order; each stele stands on its own. It is possible—but not mandatory—to start at the Synagogue Square Memorial.
The Geschichtspfad is based on a Geschichtswerkstatt initiative. Tübingen University's Arbeitskreis Universität im Nationalsozialismus (Work Group “University during National Socialism”) was also involved in conceptualizing the Geschichtspfad because of the forced sterilizations and racial biological research carried out at the university.
Tübingen had been a Nazi stronghold before 1933. The university boasted about being “Jew-free” already in 1933. The Gemeinderat (district council) was the first in the Reich to put the so-called Freibadbeschluss into action, thereby banning Jewish citizens from visiting the public outdoor swimming pool (Freibad). A number of high-ranking Tübingen Nazis were essential in directly participating in the Holocaust and the deportation of Jewish citizens.

Regime change. National Socialists moving into Tübingen town hall, 1933.

The Geschichtswerkstatt has therefore made a special effort to create the Geschichtspfad. Its goal is to inform not only local citizens but also Tübingen's many visitors about the city's less glorious history and how it participated in the crimes of National Socialism.
The city of Tübingen is involved in realizing and financing the Geschichtspfad. The concept and texts were devised by the work group Geschichtspfad, which consists of members of the Geschichtswerkstatt, the Arbeitskreis Universität im Nationalsozialismus (work group university during National Socialism), the Youth Guides, the Jugendgemeinderat (youth district council), and the Kulturamt (cultural affairs office). The Büro Braun und Engels from Ulm has been hired to conceptualize and realize the graphic design of the Geschichtspfad.
The official opening is scheduled for 2016.