Essen-Karnap.
In Karnap, unknown persons destroyed a monument to deceased miners. Why it’s not the first act of this kind and what the city wants to do.
Rest in peace – what should actually be a matter of course in cemeteries is hardly possible in the Karnaper Friedhof. There has been theft and vandalism there for many months. Graves are vandalized, rubbish bins are set on fire, grave lamps and metal letters are stolen from the gravestones. Now an act is causing particular outrage: most of the metal letters have been stolen from two monuments commemorating mining accidents.
On one of the stones behind the graves reminds of miners who had an accident in 1925 while climbing a rope into a shaft of the Mathias Stinnes colliery, only isolated numbers and letters can be found, but there are clear traces of theft. The incident increases anger and dismay in the district. “You not only robbed our district, but also the memory of the friends who had an accident,” it says on the Karnap in Transition Facebook page.
Denis Gollan, who is involved in the citizens’ initiative, has been observing damage of this kind for many months. He regularly checks the municipal cemetery and finds traces of burns, rubbish, devastated graves, bases of grave lamps lying around. Among other things, he drew the responsible district council’s attention to the problem at the beginning of 2022, and there was also an on-site appointment. But nothing has changed in the situation. “There’s been more theft again in the past few weeks,” says Gollan.
He is aware that a solution is not easy to bring about. After all, cemeteries are large, publicly accessible areas and the perpetrators probably come under cover of darkness in most cases. As a first step, it makes sense that the extent of the problems at the Karnaper Friedhof should become visible. “It would be important for those affected to report every single theft,” says Gollan.
Metal thieves are always on the go in the Karnaper cemetery
Doris Weißmüller-Brune did exactly that – but she is sobered by the result. The stone on her parents’ grave was the target of metal thieves last summer. To this day it is bare, all the letters were stolen, as were several grave lamps. Weißmüller-Brune was deeply shocked after seeing the bare tombstone, triggering a mixture of anger, sadness and bewilderment.
When she regained her composure, she filed a complaint in early July. The charge is “particularly serious case of theft”. In December, Weißmüller-Brune received a reply from the public prosecutor’s office. “The proceedings were discontinued because no perpetrator could be identified,” she says. The letter from the public prosecutor’s office also states: “Further investigations promise no success at the moment. However, if there are subsequent indications for the clarification of the crime, the investigations will be resumed.”
Weißmüller-Brune has now filed another complaint. A few weeks ago, a grave lamp was stolen again – the fourth of its kind. She had already spent a four-digit sum on the lamps, and now she will no longer replace them, but will use disposable grave candles. “I was also close to giving up the burial site altogether,” she says. “But then the city demands a fee for the remaining term.” So it remains for the time being with the sad sight on the grave.
Controls in Karnap are to be strengthened
From the point of view of the district mayor, Hans-Wilhelm Zwiehoff (SPD), the situation is untenable. “In Karnap there is an accumulation of such acts,” he says. The problem has been known for a long time, but so far the series of thefts could not be broken. “We cannot monitor all cemeteries,” says Zwiehoff. And even fences, walls and gates locked overnight are not the solution. “If you want something bad, you will find a way.”
The city of Essen confirms the damage to the monuments and also that there is a particularly large number of thefts and vandalism damage in Karnap. Reports had also been filed, but the proceedings had been discontinued. “As part of the regulatory partnership, the Karnap Cemetery is regularly and increasingly inspected by the police and the municipal security service,” says Jacqueline Riedel, press spokeswoman for the city of Essen. “However, no irregularities were found during the numerous inspections. The intensified inspections are still taking place, but 24/7 monitoring is not possible.” Further measures are planned. They are to be financed from the 100,000 euros in special funds that the City Council of Essen has included in the budget for 2023. The Karnap Cemetery will be a focus – what exactly the measures will include is still open.
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