What is a Stolperstein?
Stolpersteine — "stumbling stones" — are small 10×10 cm brass monuments embedded in the pavement in front of the last freely chosen homes of victims of Nazi-fascist persecution. The project was created by German artist Gunter Demnig in 1992 and has grown into the world's largest decentralised memorial: today more than 110,000 stones have been laid in over 30 European countries.
Gunter Demnig (Berlin, 1947) lays each stone personally, by hand, engraving the name, year of birth, date and place of deportation, and fate of each victim. The name comes from the German stolpern, "to stumble" — not physically, but in the mind and in the heart.
110,000+
stones worldwide
30+
European countries
1992
year founded