The last path

St. Albans Square is a lively place - full of movement, noise and everyday life. This is exactly where the path of remembrance begins: open and accessible, yet at the same time withdrawn. The space between four existing trees creates a protected setting. This is where memory is concentrated - visible, but not intrusive. Just like the deportations: planned in secret, but not invisible to many.

The path begins where travelers arrive today. Shoe prints in the pavement symbolically mark those who set off on their final journey under false promises. Two flush-mounted rails accompany this path. They begin in front of the buffer stop, cross it and continue into the void - as a silent line of remembrance, embedded in the everyday movement of the square.

A narrow, recessed rain gutter runs between all these elements - from the first step to the last glance. It cuts through the square as a quiet but powerful axis. If you look closely, you will recognize a timeline: it connects footprints, bumpers and steel walls - past, present and the continuing effect of memory.

A buffer stop marks the beginning of the square between the four trees - as a symbol of the violent end and at the same time as a carrier of historical information. The stele attached to it offers insights into everyday life and the far-reaching social changes in Worms during the Nazi era as well as background information on the deportations, the victims and the perpetrators from Worms. From here, visitors look through two perforated steel walls - through names and words. The view becomes a movement: back into the past, but also forward.

The two walls form the abstract body of a train. But the train is no longer running - it breaks away from the track. A powerful image for making memory visible: against forgetting, against silencing. One wall lists the names of the deportees - Jews and Sinti and Roma. The other bears quotes that link the past, present and future. The words are not only visible, but also tangible - they can be felt, grasped and sensed with the hand. In the interplay of light and movement, they cast wandering shadows - on the ground, on the surroundings, on people passing by. Names disappear and reappear - like memory itself.

Two seating blocks flank the ensemble. The place invites you to pause for a moment - in the midst of the flow of life. The memorial space can also be experienced in the dark: the square is already well lit and the existing trees are atmospherically illuminated by spotlights.