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The finished memorial in the form of a tall, gleaming golden tree trunk stands in a clearing in Berlin's Tiergarten; in the background are trees and the high-rise buildings on Potsdamer Platz.
The memorial near the goldfish pond, with the high-rise buildings on Potsdamer Platz in the background. The memorial site is still fenced in - it will be handed over to the public on June 24, 2026. Photo: Peter Maciol

The memorial stands: Bronze sculpture erected in Tiergarten for the persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses

An important milestone has been reached in Berlin’s Tiergarten: on Thursday, May 28, 2026, the memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism was erected near the Goldfish Pond. After months of work, the bronze sculpture, which is almost five meters high and weighs around twelve tons,

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Logo der Arnold-Liebster-Stiftung

500 Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) for Jehovah’s Witnesses

On May 19, 2026, the town of Ueckermünde in Western Pomerania commemorated some of the victims of the Nazi regime by laying Stolpersteine (stumbling stones). Among others, a Stolperstein (stumbling stone) for Jehovah’s Witness Martha Gehrke was dedicated at Bornbruchweg 3 – the 500th to commemorate men and women from

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Photo of the presentation of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Consul General Thomas Pröpstl
Consul General Thomas Pröpstl presents Simone Arnold-Liebster with the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany © Jolene Chu

Simone Arnold-Liebster awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany

On December 15, 2023, Consul General Thomas Pröpstl presented the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany to contemporary witness Simone Arnold-Liebster in Chambéry, near her home in Aix-les-Bains in the French Savoy. On August 17, 2023, the German ambassador to France, Stephan Steinlein, informed Simone Arnold-Liebster, who

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General view of the construction site of the memorial to the Jehovah's Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism in Berlin's Tiergarten. In the foreground the construction site banner on the site fence, behind it the open area with earthworks and construction vehicles. The buildings on Potsdamer Platz can be seen on the horizon. The trees of the Tiergarten can be seen in the background on the right.
View of the construction site near the goldfish pond in the Großer Tiergarten. The Gestapo carried out an arrest operation against Jehovah's Witnesses at this historically significant site on August 22, 1936, April 2026. Photo: Christoph Wilker.

Construction work has begun on the memorial for persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses

History is currently coming to life in Berlin’s Tiergarten: Construction work on the memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism has begun on schedule. The memorial, which the German Bundestag decided to erect on June 22, 2023, is being built near the Goldfish Pond. The construction

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Artist Matthias Leeck and Uwe Langhals from the Arnold Liebster Foundation look at a segment of the memorial to the persecuted Jehovah's Witnesses in a metal factory in Wermelskirchen. The bronze-colored sculpture has a heavily fissured surface structure.
Matthias Leeck (left) and Uwe Langhals look at the first segment of the memorial to the Jehovah's Witnesses persecuted under National Socialism. The scars in the bronze-colored surface tell of the suffering of the victims. Photo: Manuel Schmid.

A bronze tree: the memorial for the persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses takes shape

History is currently being milled in a metalworking store in Wermelskirchen, Germany – literally. The memorial to Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism, which is to be unveiled in Berlin’s Tiergarten park on June 24, 2026, is being built there. It is a special moment for Matthias Leeck.

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Three-dimensional view of the closed book, standing at a slight angle on a beige surface with a gray background.
Mock-up of the planned book. Cover picture: Goldfish pond in Berlin's Tiergarten around 1930, © Austrian Archives/brandstaetter images/picturedesk.com

Historical remembrance in Berlin – New publication on the unveiling of the memorial

New release Memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism – Documentation of the history of a memorial project Publication planned for fall 2026 Hardcover, 650 pages Over 200 pictures, cards and folding cards Extensive directories / statistics / chronologies Their resistance was life-threatening. Because it was

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Mockup of the book "Persecuted Jews During Nazi Terror – How Jehovah's Witnesses Came to Their Aid" by Christoph Wilker. The cover features historical black-and-white portrait photographs of Jewish men, women, and children against a background of Hebrew text, with the title on orange panels. Published by Editions Schortgen.
Persecuted Jews During Nazi Terror | Christoph Wilker | Editions Schortgen

The Unknown Helpers of Jews: A Forgotten Side of Resistance

Christoph Wilker’s book “Die unbekannten Judenhelfer” sheds light on a forgotten side of the resistance: how Jehovah’s Witnesses helped fellow Jews despite their own persecution under National Socialism. In years of research, the historian documents moving individual fates such as that of Dagobert Lewin, who found shelter with a family
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Six historical black and white photographs of men in suits from the 1930s/40s, arranged like a collage on a dark grid background. The slightly skewed portraits show Bible Students (Jehovah's Witnesses) who were persecuted during National Socialism. Among the people depicted are Kurt Liebold, Gerhard Liebold and a member of the Kusserow family.
Bibelforscher – unglaublicher Mut © Ständige Konferenz der NS-Gedenkorte im Berliner Raum, Berlin 2026

Short film “Bible Students – Incredible Courage” documents the persecution and resistance of Jehovah’s Witnesses

NEW: This video now includes English subtitles. Click the CC icon in the YouTube player to enable them. With the decision of the German Bundestag on June 22, 2023 to erect a memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses who were persecuted and murdered under National Socialism, the question of how the

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Virtual 3D model of the planned memorial for the Jehovah's Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism: a slender, light-colored stone column with a faceted, organically shaped surface stands in an open clearing surrounded by deciduous trees. A white figure as a scale reference illustrates the height of the memorial of around four to five meters. Image synthesis by Matthias Leeck, 2026.
Virtual model of the memorial to the Jehovah's Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism, Matthias Leeck, image synthesis, 2026

Memorial for persecuted Jehovah’s Witnesses to be inaugurated on 24.06.2026

Update – April 2026: Die Bauarbeiten am Mahnmal im Berliner Tiergarten haben begonnen. Informationen zum Baufortschritt und zur Anmeldung für den Festakt am 24. Juni 2026 finden Sie in unserem aktuellen Beitrag. After 15 years of intensive efforts, the memorial to the Jehovah’s Witnesses persecuted and murdered under National Socialism

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