Druckerei Prager

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  The Bookpress from Buchdruckerei Prager

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  Stolpersteine for my grand-parents set in concrete as taken by Birgit from the construction site at Straßburger Straße 34

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  Excavating at Straßburger Straße 34 where the book press was found

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  My wife Sandra and I enjoying Berlin

My father Georg Prager had his business “Buchdruckerei Prager” in the cellar where he and my mother Margarete also lived at Straßburger Str. 34.

In 2011 I put in 2 Stolpersteine in memory of my grandparents Julius & Rosa Prager geb Heymann where they lived in Straßburger Str. 34 and 1 Stolperstein at Kollwitzstr. 14 (Weißenburger Str.) for my other grandmother, Recha Romm, geb Rosenberg. Her husband Leopold Romm is buried in Weißensee. He died in 1926.

I was given great assistance in arrangements by Birgit Kirchhoffer from Prenzlauer Berg Museum and have been corresponding with her since. Last year I contacted Birgit to tell her that my wife Sandra and daughter Judy and I will be visiting Berlin in August and would like to see her and also the Stolpersteine. She replied saying there is a problem. The site at Straßburger Str. 34 is being redeveloped and is a major construction site and she has taken up the Stolpersteine for safekeeping.

We went to see Birgit at the Museum in August and she showed us the 2 Stolpersteine in concrete as she had collected them. Then she said she had something else to show me. In another room she showed us a bookpress that had been dug up at the building site. As the Museum is around the corner the workers gave it to the Museum. Birgit knowing the connection immediately realised that this piece of equipment belonged to my father so you can imagine my feeling of amazement and emption at seeing this after being buried for 80 years. It was discovered two weeks before we arrived. I told Birgit to keep and display it at the Museum.

Birgit also has a letterhead from Buchdruckerei Prager and you can see the Bookpress at the Museum.

Lothar Prager
Chiffre 115102