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Lower Saxony secures memorial: 150,000 euros for euthanasia commemoration
From 2026, the memorial in Lüneburg will receive funding to commemorate Nazi euthanasia. Long-term planning security ensured.
Lower Saxony secures memorial: 150,000 euros for euthanasia commemoration
The euthanasia memorial in Lüneburg can breathe a sigh of relief: from January 2026, it will receive permanent financial support of up to 150,000 euros annually from the state of Lower Saxony. This was recorded on Thursday in an agreement that paves the way for long-term funding. Tagesschau reports that this support is based on 20 years of committed remembrance work and the participation of the municipalities.
In addition, a grant agreement was concluded in September between the city, the Lüneburg district and the memorial, which will provide 60,000 euros annually until the end of 2029. These funds are important because they ensure the operation of the documentation center that opened in August and is intended to commemorate the victims of euthanasia during National Socialist rule.
Important lessons from the past
Henry Schwier, the chairman of the sponsoring association, comments on the central importance of the documentation center for shedding light on the terrible crimes against people with disabilities during the Nazi era. The call to counter inhumane ideologies also comes from Dean Carsten Menges, who emphasizes the importance of charity and human dignity.
Regional Bishop Marianne Gorka urgently reminds us that every life is valuable before God, regardless of the assessment of its quality of life. Minister of State Wolfram Weimer praises the memorial's “Worth of Living” exhibition and emphasizes that human dignity must never be deprived.
The dark history of euthanasia
The Nazis’ cruel “euthanasia,” known as “Aktion T4,” led to the murder of people with mental illnesses or disabilities. A powerful example is the story of Jutta von Gustedt, who was born in 1914. The course of her life seemed predetermined, but it ended in the gas chamber in Bernburg, one of the murderous centers of the “Greater German Reich”. [MDR].
From 1933 onwards, forced sterilizations were decided, and creeping propaganda created a mood against “useless bread eaters”, which created brutal social pressure. Tens of thousands of people were murdered between 1940 and 1941 under the pretext of “mercy death”. The murder was presented as a solution to save hospital resources.
The gas chamber in Bernburg was brutal and efficient; Shortly after their arrival, the victims were murdered there - a deeply disturbing chapter in human history. Insiders report that over 9,000 people died in Bernburg between autumn 1940 and summer 1941, a frightening testimony to the omissions and failures of society. Even though the events led to protests and resistance, the memory of these atrocities remains central to today's society.
The memorial in Lüneburg and the new documentation center not only stand for the memory of the victims, but also as a reminder to always protect human dignity and not to provide a breeding ground for inhumane ways of thinking.