Remembering the Mechterstädt murders: Commemoration in Thuringia 2025

Remembering the Mechterstädt murders: Commemoration in Thuringia 2025

On April 3, 2025, a significant wreath-laying ceremony took place in Thuringia to commemorate the Mechterstädt murders. These gruesome events occurred on March 25, 1920, when 15 workers were killed in a brutal action by members of the Marburg fraternity student corps, known as StuKoMa. The memorial event was attended by several members of the public, including Prof. Dr. Hans-Jörg Lessig, city councilor of Ruhla, and Stefan Hartung, mayor of Ruhla, supported. Henning Köster-Sollwedel from the Marburg city council also took part in the ceremony.

The murdered, whose names were honored at the memorial service, are: Ernst, Karl and Heinrich Füldner; Albert and Karl Schröder; Otto and Gustav Soldau; Reinhold Steinbeg; Alfred Rößinger; Alexander Hartmann; Otto Patz; Gustav Wedel; Rudolf Rosenstock; Paul Döll and Karl Hornschuh. These murders became known as a terrible example of political terror in the Weimar Republic and still attract a lot of attention today. The University of Marburg highlights that a memorial plaque has been installed at the Old University that has been commemorating these terrible murders and the responsibility of the university and the judiciary for the acquittal of the perpetrators since 2019.

Background of the events

The Mechterstädt murders are in the context of the failed Kapp Putsch, which began on March 13, 1920. After this political upheaval, there was an intense labor dispute in Thuringia, as the Reichswehr and student groups took action against left-wing workers. The members of the StuKoMa received military equipment to repel a supposed communist attack on Marburg. On March 24, 1920, they occupied the community of Thal and arrested 40 men.

When these 15 workers were rounded up little by little on the morning of March 25th on the way to the district court in Gotha, the accident occurred. They were shot while driving. The bodies were simply left lying on the side of the road after the shots, which made the incident the subject of heated public debate. There was outcry and sharp criticism from the political left as well as the democratic center; However, conservative circles at the time justified the acts as a necessary measure to ward off revolutionary unrest.

Political justice cases

The background to the murders and the subsequent legal consequences were also marked by scandals. The relatives of the student perpetrators were brought before a court martial in Marburg and a jury in Kassel, but both instances acquitted those responsible. These judgments were viewed as serious examples of mental justice in the Weimar Republic. The Mechterstädt murders Not only physical, but also social and political cracks were left behind, which permanently changed the image of Marburg as a student idyll.

Ernest Lemmer, a student at the time, called for a full investigation into the murders. Despite these calls, the incident was largely forgotten. But over the years, memorial stones were erected, including a plaque at the Old University in Marburg. This was only inaugurated in April 2019 and is a reminder of the events and lessons from the past that must not be forgotten. MDR documents the ongoing commemoration of this tragic episode in German history and the ongoing discussions about the Mechterstädt murders.