What are Stolpersteine?
Stolpersteine – literally stumbling stones – are small memorial stones measuring 10×10 cm with a brass plate. This plate bears the name of one victim, along with brief information. Each stone is handmade in a workshop of the Stiftung Spuren.
Reminder in the streetscape
The stones are embedded in the pavement, usually in front of the victim’s last residence. This way, passersby are reminded of who lived here – and what happened.
Symbolism
Stolpersteine are not gravestones, but memorial stones. They symbolically bring families together at the place where their lives were interrupted and at the same time stand for all victims.
Stumbling Threshold
In addition to Stolpersteine, Stolperschwelle are increasingly being installed. There are places where ten or even many more Stolpersteine should be placed, but where the space is insufficient or the enormous number would be overwhelming. In such cases, a Stolperschwelle is a suitable solution. On such a ‘threshold’, what happened at this location can be described in a few lines.
Stolperschwelle are based on the dimensions of the Stolpersteine. A threshold can be between thirty centimeters and one meter long, allowing room for up to five lines of text. The installation is done in the same way as with the Stolpersteine: the threshold is embedded flat in concrete. Each Stolperschwelle is individually planned and designed, just like the Stolpersteine.
International
Stolpersteine are now laid in more than 1,200 locations across Europe. There are six workshops, including one in Amsterdam (at the Goethe Institute), where stones for the Benelux are made.
About the Artist
Gunter Demnig (1947) started the Stolpersteine project in 1993 with the idea of commemorating victims of the Nazi regime individually — not with one large monument, but at the places where they lived.
For years, Gunter Demnig personally made and placed each stone. Due to the enormous demand for Stolpersteine, this is no longer possible. The stones are now produced under his supervision in various workshops. One workshop, which handles production for the entire Benelux, is located in Amsterdam.
Applications and placements are now coordinated by local and regional organizations.
The documentary Tracks: Stumbling Stones Amsterdam by Maclovia Martel highlights the installation of Stolpersteine at the Herengracht (March 2022). The film received the “Best Cinematography” award at the Toronto Documentary Feature & Short Film Festival in 2023.
“Stolpersteine”
Stolpersteine is a German combination of two words: stolpern (“to stumble”) and Steine (“stones”). It is meant to convey the feeling of “impediment, obstacle.” Not literally, of course, but to make passersby pause for a moment and reflect.
Mission
Our mission is to keep alive the memory of the victims of National Socialism during and around World War II. The foundation does this by participating in the Stolpersteine project of the artist Gunter Demnig.