Memorial at the Großmarkthalle

“My dear children! I am in a state of great agitation, as I have already received word that I must leave Frankfurt the day after tomorrow,” wrote Bertha Oppenheimer in 1942. Shortly thereafter, she was herded into a basement at the Großmarkthalle—a notorious assembly point used by the SS for the mass deportation of Frankfurt’s Jewish residents. Starting in 1941, more than 10,000 people were detained there and transported to various concentration camps via the adjacent freight yard. But their fate has not been forgotten—thanks to an impressive memorial site that opened in 2015: it features a section open to the public east of the former Großmarkthalle and an area on the current grounds of the European Central Bank that can be visited on a guided tour. On Philipp-Holzmann-Weg, along the former railroad embankment, countless quotes from those who were murdered, survivors, and witnesses are embedded in the ground and on the walls. Some people rush past without a second thought. But it’s worth taking a closer look—and remembering people like Bertha Oppenheimer.