missing link_
In cooperation with the Art Commission of the City of Düsseldorf
Built in 1904 in the Neo-Romanesque style, the Great Synagogue on Kasernenstraße was a central cultural hub of Jewish life in Düsseldorf. On the night of November 9–10, 1938, it was desecrated and destroyed during the Nazi pogroms. At around 10:30pm, it was set on fire by the Nazis and later completely demolished. With his light installation “missing link_”, Düsseldorf artist Mischa Kuball brings this important building back into the cityscape and commemorates the history of this place. At the same time, it is intended to provide a meeting place for collective remembrance and gathering.
Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller: “I am delighted that this work of art, this memorial, now permanently fills a void. It shows that we in Düsseldorf do not forget, we remind. We keep the memory alive and learn from the past. We in Düsseldorf take responsibility for the present.”
The project was initiated by the Düsseldorf city community, Mayor Dr. Stephan Keller, the director of the Düsseldorf Memorial and Remembrance Site, Dr. Bastian Fleermann, and conceptual artist Mischa Kuball.
To mark this occasion, the following commemorative events will be held on November 9th and 10th under the auspices of the Memorial and Remembrance Centre:
Sunday, November 9, 2025
2pm Wreath laying and prayer
The Jewish Community and the Düsseldorf Memorial and Remembrance Site invite you to the site of the synagogue destroyed in 1938 (corner of Kasernenstraße / Siegfried-Klein-Straße). Male participants are requested to wear head coverings.
Monday, November 10, 2025
5:30pm Memorial walk commemorating the November pogroms of 1938 in Eller Life stories of Düsseldorf residents from the district
Meeting point for the commemorative walk: Infopoint Gumbertstraße 173
7pm Ecumenical memorial service
Sermon: Pastor Jochen Lütgendorf, Church: St. Michael, Posener Straße 1, 40231 Düsseldorf
Organised by the ‘9th November’ working group of the Catholic Church in Düsseldorf, the Protestant Church in Düsseldorf, the Society for Christian-Jewish Cooperation and the Düsseldorf Memorial and Remembrance Site.
Information app for the light installation
A specially developed information app in six languages is available on site via the link https://missinglink-düsseldorf.de. It conveys the history of the synagogue in images and text: eyewitnesses give impressive account in audio and video recordings and provide insights into the development of the Jewish community in the city. The app also highlights the important role of the Jewish community in urban and cultural life. It traces historical developments from the completion of the synagogue through the rise of National Socialism and the destruction of the synagogue to the present day.
missinglink-düsseldorf.de
mischakuball.com
Förderkreis der Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Düsseldorf e.V.
Kunstkommission Düsseldorf - Kommission für Kunst im öffentlichen Raum
