The stone, located at Processiestraat 41, marks the house where Servranckx lived with his family after the war. He was arrested and deported after fleeing compulsory labor. Alderman of culture Bert Cornillie emphasized the importance of this commemoration: “With this new stumbling stone in Wilsele, initiated by the family, we commemorate Edouard Servranckx's war story and make it visible in the streetscape of Leuven.”
Edouard Servranckx (°June 18, 1923, Leuven) worked as a technician at KU Leuven when he received a call-up for forced labor in Germany in 1942. He went into hiding but was arrested on July 11, 1944, and deported to Venusberg near Dresden, where he was forced to work for the war industry.
After liberation in April 1945, he returned to Leuven following an arduous journey. He recovered and built a new life, marrying Maria Julia Mertens in 1948 and having six children. He worked successively for the NMBS, STACA, and Artois brewery. Edouard Servranckx passed away on April 8, 2013.
“"During his life, he didn't easily talk about this period. From the arrival of grandchildren and documentaries on television, he would occasionally open up. He must have lived in harsh conditions. He suffered from hunger and cold and was confronted daily with violence, illness, and death. He struggled with physical injuries until the end of his life."
The stumbling stone, an initiative by artist Gunter Demnig, is one of over 115,000 memorial stones spread across Europe. Leuven now has 21. On October 19th, two stones were also placed in Oud-Heverlee in honor of resistance fighters Henri Verreydt and Albert Blanchart.
