Traces of Jewish life in Ludgwislust, Germany

Ludwigslust is a small town in the German district of Mecklenburg Vorpommern, in the Northern part of the country. It is mostly famous for the baroque castle, called the Versailles of the North, for its golden stucco and massive decorations, most of them made out using a special revolutionary technique at the time - 18th century - of papier mache. 

The Jewish life here was rather discrete, without significant mentions of the city as an active center. Being close to Hamburg and the big trade center, most probably Jewish families established here searching for a quiet place far away from the urban centers. Nowadays, the city has a Jewish cemetery. Documents of missionary centers mention a high number of baptism done among the local Jews. Jewish citizens of Ludwigslust were mostly reform. Near Ludwigslust, a locality where the Jewish presence is mentioned is Grabow.
On Kanalstrasse, at no. 10, I noticed a Stolpersteine, remembering the inhabitant of the house, whose fate remained unknown. His properties were seized by new owners. Tourist information documents mention the existence of several other Stolpersteine on various streets in the city. 

Besides the castle, there is a dark side of Ludwigslust, not well known. Towards the end of WWII, in its close vicinity of the city the Wöbbelin camp was created, as a subcamp of a Neungamme concentration camp. Here were brought prisoners from all over the country whom the SS evacuated from the other camps to prevent the liberation. Around 5,000 inmates were found by the 82nd Airbone Division who liberated the camp May 2, 1945. Funeral services for the inmates - both Jewish and Christians - were made, where the inhabitants of Ludgwislust were brought to in order to witness the horrors made.
In the city it was also a munition factory where Jews were sent to work too.
Probably a comprehensive history of Jews in Ludwigslust remains to be written, but my short visit there revealed equally some important and tragic facts.