The Memorial Cross
After the horrors of World War I (1914–1918), it was a concern for all participating nations to commemorate the victims with dignity. Since they were mostly soldiers, memorials to the fallen were created, in many different forms.
In Schiltach, the Schrofenfelsen rock was chosen as the site for the memorial, and an 8-meter-high, widely visible cross was erected: a symbol of both mourning and Christian hope. It was designed by local artist Eduard Trautwein (1893–1978), who had himself been a soldier.
The memorial was dedicated in 1925. A metal plaque on the base commemorated "111 sons of the town of Schiltach. 39 sons of the community of Lehengericht." The soldierly symbol of the Iron Cross and an inscription dedicated it "To the Heroes 1914–18."
On "National Day of Mourning," introduced in 1925, communal celebrations took place at the "Heroes' Cross," as it soon became known. To give meaning to the wartime deaths, the fallen were called "heroes" and honored for having died violently "for the fatherland."
Since 1934, it was officially "Heroes' Remembrance Day." National Socialist formations participated, and speakers celebrated the "sacrificial death" as a "shining example" for future generations.
From 1939 to 1945, the men were sent into battle again. After World War II, another plaque had to be installed, which meant the "Heroes" dedication was omitted: "Town of Schiltach 101 fallen, 58 missing. Municipality of Lehengericht 49 fallen, 29 missing."
In 1952, the "National Day of Mourning" returned as a memorial service with a speech by the mayor, musical accompaniment, and a wreath-laying ceremony. Since 1987, it is dedicated to "all victims of violence and war" as well as "children, women, and men of all nations."
The "Polish Stone"
On the granite obelisk, inscriptions in Polish, French, and German commemorate a special fate: the hanging of Polish sergeant Bernard Podziński (Perzynski) on January 14, 1942, from a tree in the nearby Zellersgrund.
The 27-year-old was taken prisoner of war during the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and sent to Schiltach as a forced laborer. He fell in love with Amalie Fischer from Offenburg, whom National Socialism persecuted due to its racial ideology.
Reported by Schiltach National Socialists, they were arrested and punished by "Reichsführer SS" Himmler through police force: Bernard was sentenced to death, executed by the Secret State Police; Amalie was imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp, where she died.
In 1946, Bernard's comrades from the "Polish Committee" arranged for the stone to be erected as a memorial to his murder as a "victim of Nazi terror." However, the "Polish Stone" was not placed at the site of his death, but rather – for greater publicity – on the federal highway. During the widening of the highway, it was relocated to Gründlebühl in 1990.
The Memorial
The transformation of Remembrance Day from a tribute to soldiers to a remembrance of "all victims of war, tyranny, and terrorism" prompted the Schiltach Historical Society to dedicate itself to the local culture of remembrance.
The cult of heroes and the glorification of war repel us today. What remains is the mourning for all the lives lost and destroyed. The dead soldiers have no grave in Schiltach. They left behind parents, siblings, wives and children. The cross from 1925 offered a worthy place for their grief. Quotes from obituaries, distributed as flyers in 2025, demonstrate the suffering the war brought to the families.
Since Remembrance Day today also honors those persecuted for being considered "of a different race", Bernard's fate, which was barely known anymore, was brought to mind. The committees of the city of Schiltach approved the proposal to integrate the "Polenstein," which had been placed separately, into the memorial.
Together, both monuments now commemorate all victims of war and violence. Thus, they also commemorate political systems that unhesitatingly sacrificed people for their own ends, with the result that 400 men from Schiltach and Lehengericht alone lost their lives in two wars. Thus, this site is also a place of remembrance and learning, from which signals for peace and understanding can emanate, both on Remembrance Day and during individual, commemorative moments.
Schiltach-Schenkenzell Historical Society e.V. / Dr. Hans Harter (2025)