Welcome
The website "Spurensuche Nationalsozialismus" is a project by the Frankfurt on the Main section of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV). It aims to commemorate former Jewish members who were persecuted or murdered during the National Socialist era. The project seeks to bring these approximately 120 individuals back into the collective memory of the section and the public, nearly 80 years after the end of World War II. Additionally, it explores the structures and interests that enabled such persecution and examines the involvement of the section"s officials in these injustices.
Join us!
The section's project group "Spurensuche" (Tracing National Socialism) has been researching the Nazi era since 2019 and will continue this work in the future. This website is a living memorial project that continuously grows. The more people join, the more traces we will uncover. That's why we are always happy to welcome more dedicated participants. If you would like to join us, have any suggestions, or questions about the project or specific research topics:
News
Saving Switzerland? Escape in the Rhine Valley
Switzerland as a lifeline? This was the question on the minds of thousands who fled across the Rhine to Switzerland between the so-called Anschluss of Austria in March 1938 and the end of the Second World War in May 1945. The Prestegg Museum in Altstätten (Switzerland) is presenting a special exhibition on refugees in the Rhine Valley until January 27, 2027.
Stolperstein (stumbling stone) for Rudolf Schild
A "Stolperstein" (stumbling stone) will be laid in Berlin on October 29, 2025, in memory of our former Alpine Club member Dr. Rudolf Schild, a physician from a Jewish family who commited suicide in 1936 at the Columbia-Haus concentration camp in Berlin.
Read more … Stolperstein (stumbling stone) for Rudolf Schild
"Stolpersteine" for Nazi victims of the section unveiled–moving days with visitors from USA
For the first time, Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) were unveiled in Frankfurt, donated by the Frankfurt Alpine Club in memory of a former section member and his family who had been persecuted by the Nazis. Descendants Ed and John Breitinger traveled from the USA to attend the ceremony, and we shared some very moving days with them.