June 30, 2021: according to the German newspaper Der Bote ("The Envoy"), a new memorial, "The Baukloh Monument", will be completed in Taganrog's sister city
Lüdenscheid by the end of 2021. At the initiative of the memorial association "Gedenkzellen Verein", the German People's Union for the Care of War Graves, and
Lüdenscheid's Friedensgruppe (Group for Peace), the sculpture will be created on the territory of the local Freie Christliche Schule (Free Christian School), honoring the memory of 240 Soviet prisoners of war who died in the Baukloh military hospital. Among the major causes of death were tuberculosis and cachexia.
Activists of the Gedenkzellen Verein and Friedensgruppe shared the idea with the Freie Christliche Schule last November. Since the military hospital was located next to the current school, part of which served military purposes, the territory of the school was recognized as a suitable location. The proposal was welcome and approved by the school board and its sponsor. The supervisor of the project is
Lüdenscheid's Bürgermeister Sebastian Wagemeyer.
"The project will also serve to strengthen relations with our sister city Taganrog", said Sebastian Wagemeyer. "Despite the current difficulties, we need to have a dialogue. Maintenance of peace in Europe is only possible with Russia".