An exhibition at the Martin-Behaim-School will showcase almost 80 podcasts from October 27th to 30th
More than 200 pupils and students from the Martin-Behaim-School in Darmstadt have explored the fates of people commemorated by Stolpersteine (stumbling stones). The result is nearly 80 podcasts that bring selected life stories from the Nazi era to life. The findings will be presented in the exhibition "Darmstadt – Your Stolpersteine" from Tuesday, October 27, to Friday, October 30, 2026.
The exhibition is on display in the "Knowledge for All!" pavilion on Ludwig-Metzger-Platz. Mayor Hanno Benz will open it on Tuesday, October 27, at 8:30 a.m. The presentation also marks the conclusion of the pavilion project as part of the World Design Capital 2026.
Nearly 80 podcasts tell personal life stories
In Darmstadt, more than 440 Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) commemorate people who were persecuted during the Nazi regime. Behind each of these stones lies an individual story.
Young people from a total of 13 classes of the vocational high school, vocational school and technical school of the Martin-Behaim-School intensively studied these life stories.
For their project, they researched historical sources, reconstructed biographies, and visited places connected with the life stories of those affected.
They not only explored historical facts, but also personal questions: Who were these people? How did they live? What hopes and dreams did they have? And what significance do their fates have for the present?
The project participants compiled the results of their research into almost 80 podcasts. This tells the stories behind selected Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) in Darmstadt in a contemporary media format.
New paths in the culture of remembrance
Mayor Hanno Benz praises the work of the students as an important contribution to the city's culture of remembrance.
"The stumbling stones are an important contribution to our city's culture of remembrance. Each stone represents a person and makes their individual fate under National Socialism visible," explains Benz.
Podcasts have given young people a new way to express this form of remembrance.
The mayor sees this as an important step for the further development of remembrance work. Especially in a time when fewer and fewer eyewitnesses are able to pass on their personal experiences, conveying historical events to younger generations is becoming increasingly important.
Engaging with individual life stories should help to keep knowledge about the Holocaust and the crimes of National Socialism alive.
More than 200 young people are involved in the project
More than 200 pupils and students from the Martin-Behaim-School participated in the project.
In addition to the teenagers and young adults, the political science teachers were particularly involved, accompanying the historical research and the pedagogical implementation.
Dr. Gerald Hubacek acknowledges the commitment of those involved.
“I am grateful to the young people involved in this project for their openness, their seriousness and their attitude,” he explains.
He also expressed his gratitude to the political science teachers who had made the project possible with their professional depth, pedagogical sensitivity and great personal commitment.
Closing of the pavilion “Knowledge for all!”
The exhibition “Darmstadt – Your Stumbling Blocks” is also the last event in the pavilion “Knowledge for all! Podium for education and participation”.
Over a period of four months, free events on the topics of knowledge, education and social participation took place in public spaces.
The pavilion was created as a project within the framework of World Design Capital 2026. The architecture department of Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences was responsible for the planning and construction.
The exhibition by the Martin-Behaim-School concludes the event program of the pavilion on Ludwig-Metzger-Platz.
The most important data
Exhibition: “Darmstadt – Your Stumbling Blocks”
Period: Tuesday, October 27, to Friday, October 30, 2026
Opening: Tuesday, October 27, 8:30 a.m., by Mayor Hanno Benz
Location: Pavilion “Knowledge for all!”, Ludwig-Metzger-Platz, Darmstadt
Project: Martin-Behaim-School Darmstadt
Participants: More than 200 pupils and students from 13 classes
Contents: Almost 80 podcasts about selected Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) in Darmstadt and the life stories of the people they commemorate.
Background: There are more than 440 Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) in Darmstadt.
Context: Closing event of the pavilion “Knowledge for all!” as part of World Design Capital 2026
(DARMSTADT – RED/PSD/stip)
