Ehrenmal Herbede

The Ehrenmal Herbede stands on Küsters Nocken, a small hill above Bruno-Heide-Straße in Herbede, Witten. Built between 1932 and 1934 under the leadership of local clergyman Pfarrer Kracht, it was dedicated on 21 October 1935. The monument was designed to hold memorial plaques for those killed in the 1866 and 1870/71 wars, and later expanded to include the fallen of the Second World War. Its purpose is to honour the dead of both conflicts in one place. The structure is recognised for its historical importance and has been under official Denkmalschutz since 2002. By 2019 it required renovation, showing how public memory changes over time. Its setting on a quiet hill gives it a calm presence, separate from the streets below. The names carved into the stone keep the memory of local soldiers alive across generations. Visitors can walk up the slope and stand beside the monument, reading the inscriptions. From the hilltop there are views over the surrounding Ruhr valley. The brickwork and simple design focus attention on the inscribed names rather than elaborate decoration. The site remains a quiet place for reflection, where visitors can pause and consider the human cost of war. The path up is short but steep, leading directly to the memorial’s base. The surroundings are green and open, contrasting with the urban area nearby.