Frequently Asked Questions

In the Stolpersteine app of the Stichting 18 September, you can search by the victim’s name. If you cannot find the person, you may assume that no Stolperstein has yet been requested for them. For Stolpersteine in Amsterdam, you can also inquire via info@stolpersteine-amsterdam.com.

By the end of 2024, the waiting list for Stolperstein applications in Amsterdam had grown to approximately 1,700. The number of new applications was around 60 per month, while only a limited number of Stolpersteine could be ordered for Amsterdam each month. To prevent waiting times from increasing further, a stop became necessary.

The stop will remain in effect at least until 1 September 2026.

There are several reasons for the long period between application and installation:

• There are a great many applications for Stolpersteine in Amsterdam, averaging about 50 per month.
• The research carried out by our volunteers to determine the correct inscription text for each stone is time-consuming.
• Stolpersteine are produced entirely by hand by Stiftung Spuren, founded by Gunter Demnig, and the process is highly labor-intensive. As a result, the number of stones that can be ordered each month for Amsterdam is limited.
• Account must be taken of the number of new stones that the City of Amsterdam’s paving crews can install each month. In addition to other duties, these crews are also responsible for temporarily removing and reinstalling stones when street works take place.

In 2026, many new volunteers were recruited and work is underway to improve efficiency. As a result, the backlog has been significantly reduced, but a waiting period of one to two years remains unavoidable for the time being.

For many elderly relatives of war victims, the installation of Stolpersteine represents an important and emotional closure to a difficult personal history. To ensure that people over 80 years old can still witness this, such applications are given priority.

This depends on demand and production capacity. At present, waiting times range from one to three years. Applications submitted by family members with living relatives are given priority.

In the Stolpersteine app of Stichting 18 September, you can see where Stolpersteine have already been installed and for whom.

• There are currently more than 4,500 Stolpersteine in Amsterdam, with approximately 50 more being added each month.
• There are currently more than 16,000 Stolpersteine in the Netherlands, spread across more than 230 municipalities.
• Worldwide, there are more than 100,000 Stolpersteine, including in the following European countries: Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Croatia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Ukraine, Austria, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Belarus, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Please send your question or application to benelux@stolpersteine.eu.

Because of work on pavement of the street, Stolpersteine are temporarily removed. They are stored by the municipality and reinstalled once the work has been completed. This can sometimes take quite a long time due to changes in contractors’ schedules and because the work must first be approved by the inspector of the municipality.

One Stolperstein costs €150.

From October 2026 onwards, you will receive an invoice from us when your Stolperstein(s) are due to be ordered from the Stiftung Spuren. At that time, you will also be able to choose a date for the installation of the stones. Please note that only stones for which payment has been received will be installed.

Please note: Until October 2026, invoices will only be issued after the stones have been installed.

Invoices can be paid by transferring the amount due to:

IBAN: NL34 TRIO 2018 0813 22
Account name: Stichting Stolpersteine Amsterdam

Please include the invoice number as a reference.

BIC: TRIONL2U
Postal address: Hoofdstraat 10, 3972 LA Driebergen-Rijsenburg, Netherlands

From abroad, payment can also be made via Wise and/or PayPal.

Each installation is supervised by a volunteer from Stichting Stolpersteine Amsterdam.

The City of Amsterdam’s paving crew and the foundation’s coordinator arrive approximately 10 minutes before the scheduled start time. The paving crew determines the exact location of the stone(s) and makes the necessary preparations beforehand.

At the scheduled time, the coordinator invites those present to watch the installation. Taking photographs or videos is permitted. Afterwards, the inscription on the stone(s) is read aloud. This may be done by the coordinator, the applicant, or someone chosen by the applicant.

The official installation itself takes no more than five to ten minutes.

What happens afterwards is up to the applicant. Often, people share information about the victims and their lives. Sometimes prayers, such as the Kaddish, are recited, poems are read, or music is played, either live or through a portable speaker. Nothing is obligatory, but experience shows that it is meaningful to devote some attention to the lives of the victims.

If you do not have contacts within the Jewish community, you may contact Ms. Sarah Whitlau.

Residents and neighbours of the address where stones are to be installed receive a letter from the municipality approximately two weeks in advance informing them of the installation. They are invited to attend if they wish.

The City of Amsterdam has granted general permission for Stolpersteine to be installed in public spaces. No permission from residents is required. However, if residents specifically request it, the Stolpersteine can be placed slightly to one side of the front door or steps.

All Stolpersteine are produced by Stiftung-Spuren, the foundation established by the German artist Gunter Demnig. There are five workshops in Germany and one in the Netherlands, located in the garden of the Goethe-Institut at Herengracht 470 in Amsterdam. This Amsterdam workshop produces all Stolpersteine for the Benelux countries.

Michael Heemskerk, the workshop coordinator, has been working as a Stolpersteine maker in the Amsterdam workshop since 2024. Since 2025, he has also served as Coordinator of the Benelux Team of Stiftung-Spuren, which is responsible for processing all Stolpersteine orders from across Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg.

Michael has personally created and installed several Stolpersteine for members of his own family. He considers it a great honour to contribute to this work, in which remembrance, education, and personal stories are at the heart of every stone.

Stolperschwellen (“stumbling threshold”) are installed at locations great amount off  Stolpersteine would otherwise be required, but where space is insufficient or the sheer number of stones would be overwhelming.

A Stolperschwelle provides space for several lines of text describing what happened at that location.

The dimensions are based on those of Stolpersteine (96 mm wide and 100 mm high). A Stolperschwelle can be between 30 centimetres and one metre long, allowing for up to five lines of text. Like Stolpersteine, it is embedded into the pavement. Each Stolperschwelle is individually planned and designed.

Gunter Demnig, the artist behind the Stolpersteine project, established a number of guidelines intended to ensure a consistent appearance. One of these guidelines is that only the year of birth is normally shown.

An exception is made for babies and toddlers born after 1939, for whom the full date of birth may be included.

According to Gunter Demnig’s guidelines, Stolpersteine should only record the victims’ fate during the war years. For victims who died after 1945, the final inscription is simply: SURVIVED.

Particularly when applications are submitted by people other than family members, it is important for the applicant to determine whether any living relatives can still be found.

In many cases, relatives are pleased to learn that someone wishes to request a Stolperstein for their family member and are eager to attend the installation. Occasionally, however, relatives strongly object to Stolpersteine being installed for their deceased family members. In such cases, the application cannot be approved by our foundation.

If there is disagreement among first-, second-, or third-degree family members about whether Stolpersteine should be installed, our foundation cannot approve the application. If such disagreement only comes to light after the stones have been installed, the stone will be removed.

Stiftung Spuren is the international organization that oversees the Stolpersteine project created by the artist Gunter Demnig. The foundation safeguards the quality and continuity of the project, commissions the production of the Stolpersteine, and maintains the international register of all stones that have been installed.

Stichting Stolpersteine Amsterdam is the organization responsible for coordinating the installation of Stolpersteine in Amsterdam. The foundation guides applicants through the process, conducts historical research, liaises with relatives and local authorities, and organizes the installation ceremonies.

The two foundations work closely together. Once an application has been prepared and approved by Stichting Stolpersteine Amsterdam, the Stolperstein is produced by Stiftung Spuren. Stichting Stolpersteine Amsterdam then coordinates the installation of the stone.

In summary:

• Stiftung Spuren: the international organization responsible for overseeing the project and producing the Stolpersteine.
• Stichting Stolpersteine Amsterdam: the local point of contact for applications, historical research, and the installation of Stolpersteine in Amsterdam.