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Paving stones across Europe to commemorate victims of persecution
Stolperstein are small, brass memorials placed in the pavements of cities across Europe to commemorate victims of Nazi persecution. Created by artist Gunter Demnig since 1992, these small stones serve as a reminder of the atrocities committed during the Holocaust and the countless lives that were lost.
The Stolperstein project aims to honour the individual victims of Nazi persecution by placing a small brass stone, inscribed with the name and life details of a victim, in front of the victim's last known residence. The stones measure just 10 by 10 centimeters. The name Stolperstein translates to 'stumbling stones' - they are intended to be stumbled upon, serving as a reminder of the suffering and loss.
Each Stolperstein is individually funded and can be sponsored by private individuals, schools or and organisations. The project has gained widespread support, with more than 75,000 Stolperstein placed in over 1,600 cities across Europe.
In addition to honoring the victims of Nazi persecution, the Stolperstein project also serves as a way to educate the public about the horrors of the Holocaust. Many of the victims commemorated by the stones were ordinary people. The majority of Stolpersteine commemorate Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Others have been placed for Romani people, LGBTQ+ people, people with disabilities, Black people, and people who were who were persecuted for their religious, political and social beliefs.
The first Stolperstein was placed on 16 December 1992, a date which marked 50 years since an order was signed to begin the mass deportation of Jewish people and Roma from Germany.
Gunter Demnig commemorated this by pulling a machine which printed the words Eine Spur durchs Vergessen (A trace against forgetting) through Cologne to its train station. Afterward, he installed the first Stolperstein in front of Cologne City Hall. Gradually, the project expanded to individual memorials for victims of Nazi persecution, always doing so at the last places of residence which they were free to choose.
Stolperstein symbolically bring victims back to their former homes and neighbourhoods.
Some criticisms have arose about stolperstein as they are placed in pavements, where people can step on or over them. Others point to the fact that the victims may not wish to be memorialised in this way. However, for most, stolperstein serve as reminders of the Holocaust and its victims, honouring them with individual memorials in the places where they rightfully belonged.