Support Association
The Förderverein Kriegerdenkmal Gingst e.V. was founded in May 2019 and currently has 40 members.
Goal
The aim of the support association of the War Memorial Gingst e.V. was to rebuild the destroyed war memorial from 1914/1918 on the Gingst market square.
It was restored in 2022 and in 2023 inaugurated . The restoration of the memorial commemorates the 115 men from the parish of Gingst who lost
their lives in the First World War.
In order to place the war memorial in the context of the present, in addition, a memorial „Never again war“ was integrated, to prevent oblivion to escape from war and to that caused by war like destruction to admonish the suffering that arises and its consequences.
The Monument
The original elements salvaged in 2021, which were used as flower pots in Gingst, served as the basis for the reconstruction. The missing 8 elements were reproduced with precast concrete. In addition, 4 commemorative plaques are made that bear the names of those who died.
The memorial
The memorial is dedicated to the motto „Never again war“. The motif takes up the image of the artist Käthe Kollwitz, who lost her son at the front in Belgium in 1914.
The memorial is supplemented by a transparent pane on which a dove of peace is depicted. It is not only intended to warn of the consequences of war, but rather to represent peace as a cornerstone of our society
The marketplace
With the reconstruction, the market square is also be beautified. New metal benches are been placed around the monument. Our goal took place, to give the Gingster citizens and visitors a meeting place where memory and the present meet.
History
After WWI
The warrior association had suggested the erection of a public memorial. The names of 115 fallen
men who went to war between 1914 and 1918 and gave their lives for the German fatherland were
to be carved in stone and passed on to future generations as an honorable memory through this
memorial.
Their names would remain unforgettable for their descendants into the distant future.
The war memorial was made of artificial stone in a simple, dignified form and contained the names of the 115 fallen soldiers on three granite plaques.
The part of the marketplace shaded by linden trees has been raised for this purpose. The monument to the fallen 1870-1871 was also relocated. The horticultural design of the square made the location for both monuments even more beautiful.
The war memorial was erected in 1925 on the market square. The stone carver Hartin in Bergen was responsible for the execution.
The Inauguration
The ceremonial dedication of the monument took place on August 30, 1925.
The program for the day looked like this:
For the inauguration of the heroes‘ monument for those who died in the parish of Gingst in the 1914/18 World Wars. The clubs start at 9 a.m. in the Lorenz clubhouse.
Sequence:
1. Warrior Club
2. Steel Helmet
3. Choral Society
4. Gymnastics Club
5. Equestrian Club
6. Club Eintracht
7. Fire Department
8. Bismarck youth
Walk to the church and take part in the service.
After the service, closed march to the memorial square and march.
1. Common song: “Dutch. thanksgiving“
2. Speech by the chairman of the warrior club, Mr. Rittmeister Heidborn, Unrow
3. Male choir „I know a bright gem“
4. Disclosure Speech, Captain Brandenburg
5. Unveiling of the monument with respect and singing of the men’s choir:
„I had a comrade“
6. Dedication speech, Pastor Stelter
7. Mixed Choir: „For Us“
8. Salvation of honor
9. Wreath-laying ceremony
10. Handover of the memorial and the square to the municipality of Gingst
11. Takeover by the municipality
12. Closing words with the common Deutschlandlied.
Afterwards, the clubs march together to the clubhouse, where they have a morning pint and a plate of pea soup together
The newspaper „Rügensche Kreis- und Anzeigeblatt“ wrote in its edition of September 8, 1925:
Gingst: Inauguration of the memorial for the fallen. On Sunday, August 30th, the ceremonial inauguration of the memorial for those who died in the war in our parish took place. The monument was erected on the market square by the master stonemason Hartig-Bergen from artificial stone in a simple, dignified form. It contains the names of the 115 fallen heroes of the parish on 3 granite tablets. The part of the marketplace shaded by linden trees has been elevated and made dignified for this purpose. The monument erected in 1882 to the fallen of 1866 and 1870/71 was also moved here. The site for both monuments will be even more embellished by the horticultural design of the square. The inauguration ceremony was initiated by the joint churchgoing of the local national-minded clubs, the warrior and military club, Stahlhelm, men’s choir, gymnastics club, equestrian club, the Eintracht club, the fire brigade and the Bismark youth. The clubs had appeared with a strength of almost 300 people. After the service, the clubs and relatives of the dead were lined up on the memorial square to the ringing of bells. Here the chairman of the warrior and military association welcomed the associations and guests who had appeared. Captain Brandenburg from Berlin then carried out the unveiling and the local clergyman the consecration of the monument. After the wreaths were laid by the clubs and the surviving relatives and the handover of the place to the community leader in Gingst, the representative of the district warrior association Rügen, Captain Uhlmann, closed the celebration with pithy words in which he admonished loyalty to the German fatherland, which started with the Germany song finish. Singing performances by the male choir and the mixed choir enhanced the celebration. May the monument be not only an adornment of the place for many centuries, but also a testimony of our loyalty and gratitude to the dead and a reminder of loyalty to the fatherland.
The Casket
A casket was built into the inside of the foundation stone, containing a four-page document with the signatures of the municipal council and banknotes from the times of inflation. It is now in the historic craftsmen’s museum in Gingst.
The document reads:
Document on the erection of the memorial for those who died in the World War 1914-18 from the parish of Gingst.
One hundred and twenty names of men and young men from the files of our parish who went into the bloody world war in the years 1914-18 and gave their lives for the German fatherland are to be handed down to future generations as an honorable memory, carved in stone by this monument .
No matter how much sorrow and pain there is associated with the memory of these dead, not only for those from whose family circle they left so early and so abruptly, but for all of us in the melancholy remembrance that their bravery and faithful fulfillment of our duty did not endanger our German people after all from a shameful peace and from upheaval and misery in the interior and from robbery, abuse and oppression on the part of our enemies, we look with reverence and pride and heartfelt gratitude on these our dead heroes, who in so many bloody battles the armies of our resisted countless enemies, protected the borders of our dear homeland from the distress of war and faithfully defended the honor and freedom of the fatherland to the death of the oath you swore to the emperor and the empire. Our parish counts 2750 souls. Of the many hundreds who went into the field from him as warriors, 120 have their greatest good, life, for us, theirs, alongside the large number who have been shot and returned ailing and still live among us and to whom we also deserve our thanks German brothers, sacrificed. We consider it our duty of honor to erect this monument in memory of you on the market square of our church, despite the
hardship of the time. Even if with tears in their eyes, their wives and children, their parents and siblings should be able to read the names of their loved ones again with pride on the stone tablets of this monument and be able to imagine the figures of their dear dead. Their names will remain unforgettable for their descendants into the distant future. The names of these dead heroes are to
be used as a reminder to all generations to come to continue making sacrifices for the dear fatherland, so that it regains what its fathers won in victorious battles and diligent work to flourish and thrive.
About the history of the erection of this monument we report briefly the following for posterity:
As early as 1920, the plan was made to erect a memorial to those who died in the war in the parish. A committee was elected and money was raised for this purpose. But before an agreement could be reached on the place and type of monument, the collected funds had become worthless due to the devaluation of the money, which at the end of 1923 went so far that a trillion paper marks were only worth the former marks. In 1924, the local warrior and military association under its chairman Mr. Rittmeister Heldborn auf Unrow donated two oak plaques with the names of those who died in the war in the parish for our church, which were inaugurated by the local clergyman on the Feast of the Dead of the same year in the presence of the parish associations and with a large participation of the entire community. In that year, the warriors‘ association again suggested the erection of a public monument and invited the other nationalminded associations, gymnastics association, singing association, fire brigade, Eintracht
association, riding association, Stahlhelm and Bismarkjugend as well as the community and estate directors of the parish to take a decision on it. After this meeting had unanimously approved the erection of a memorial and their participation in raising the costs for the same, a memorial committee was elected to continue the work, consisting of the gentleman: manor owner
Heidborn-Unrow, master carpenter Britz-Dubkevitz, pastor Stelter-Gingst , road master VistenzGingst, Rendant Knüppel-Gingst and community leader Neumann-Gingst. With the consent of the municipal council of Gingst, the local market square was chosen as the location for the monument and the execution of the same was entrusted to the master stone sculptor Hartig in Bergen. The ceremonial inauguration of the monument is expected to take place on Sunday,
August 30 of this year.
May this monument then be an adornment of our place for centuries, a sign of thanksgiving from the living to the dead and a reminder for all generations to come to be loyal to the fatherland
Gingst, July 29, 1925
Heidborn – Unrow, Britz – Gingst, Vistenz – Gingst, Willi Knüppel – Gingst, Wilhelm Stelter- Pastor, Neumann -Gingst
At the time of the GDR
Due to the socialist economy of scarcity and the desire for a new socialist design of the inner cities and villages, a large number of objects worth protecting were lost, including the war memorial on the market square in 1974, which was ordered by the political authorities to be torn down and dumped.
The war memorial 1870-1871 was also demolished and dumped in the gravel pit in Malkvitz. The monuments that were torn down were disposed of at various locations around Gingst. Only 6 basic elements were still in front of the Gingst community center and other places, they were used as flower tubs
After the monument was demolished, a commemorative table was erected inside the St. Jacobi church by decision of the parish church council and in consultation with the monuments office.
A book with the names of the fallen kept the memory alive. The memorial book, which was first written in the community, was then replaced by the artist Lothar Mannewitz from an artistic point of view.
A list of all the names of those who died can be viewed at the following link:
http://www.denkmalprojekt.org/2016/gingst_lk-ruegen_70-71_wk1_wk2_mvp.ht
