Stumbling Stones Max-Ott-Platz 3

These stumbling stones commemorate:

* Karl Böttinger, born 1891, forced labor, defusing bombs, dead 17 November 1944.
* Matthias Holzer, born 1887, forced labor, defusing bombs, dead 17 November 1944.
* Andreas Rehrl, born 1899, forced labor, defusing bombs, dead 17 November 1944.

Karl Böttinger, Karl Böttinger, and Andreas Rehrl were 3 railway men who were jailed at the Salzburg State Court before being sent to forced labor, cleaning up after a U.S. bombing. All 3 were killed when a bomb they were trying to defuse exploded on the Max-Ott-Platz.

Little is known about Matthias Holzer and Andreas Rehrl other than that both were married.

Karl Böttinger, a skilled carpenter, was sentenced to 3 years in prison because he had paid a few Reichsmarks as dues to the Revolutionary Socialists resistance group. In 1954 a street in Salzburg’s Liefering neighborhood was named for him.

"Stolpersteine" is an art project for Europe by Gunter Demnig to commemorate victims of National Socialism (Nazism). Stolpersteine (stumbling stones) are small, 10x10cm brass plaques placed in the pavement in front of the last voluntary residence of (mostly Jewish) victims who were murdered by the Nazis. Each plaque is engraved with the victim’s name, date of birth, and place (mostly a concentration camp) and date of death. By doing this, Gunter Demnig gives an individual memorial to each victim. One stone, one name, one person. He cites the Talmud: "A human being is forgotten only when his or her name is forgotten."

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