After cutting down memorial trees near the Buchenwald memorial, the city of Weimar has one $10,000 reward offered for information. With this sum, one hopes that the perpetrators will be found, said Mayor Ralf Kirsten MDR THÜRINGEN.
On Wednesday it became known that unknown persons sawed down seven trees to commemorate the victims of Buchenwald. The trees were dedicated to the children who were killed in Buchenwald and six prisoners who were named, according to the spokesman for the memorial, Rikola-Gunnar Lüttgenau.
In addition, it was found that unknown persons scratched a sign in the memorial to the ash graves where the National Socialists dumped the burned dead from the crematorium in 1944/45.
Action leads to anger and horror
The act had led to anger and horror across Germany. The trees were part of the “1,000 beeches” project of the Lebenshilfe, which initiated it in 1999, the Weimar City of Culture year. According to Kirsten, they should be replanted and more trees planted for the victims.