Across Europe, people remember the victims of National Socialism at various locations. A part of this European culture of remembrance is filled by the so-called STOLPERSTEINE.
These memorial stones are 96 x 96 x 100 mm brass plates, cast in a concrete block, installed in front of the homes where the victims of National Socialism last lived voluntarily. They commemorate the persecuted and murdered individuals with the introductory words here lived, remembering the persecuted and murdered people from all population groups.
The initiator of the gold-glinting STOLPERSTEINE is the artist Gunter Demnig, who conceived the idea for STOLPERSTEINE in 1992/93. A thirteen-member team around the artist now ensures that each fate is well researched and each stone is placed with dignity.
Given the numerous victims of National Socialism, we are aware that our art memorial will always carry a symbolic character. We place great value on ensuring that each person receives appropriate honor. For this reason, our STOLPERSTEINE are handcrafted by a total of 6 designers. We aim to argue against the mass extermination by the National Socialists by restoring to the tormented people their name, their face, and a place in the heart of society.
The STOLPERSTEINE represent an art project that was, from the very beginning, designed to provide a lasting and continuous remembrance and continues to do so. The project was intended to be carried out over several years, allowing future generations to engage in the process of remembrance. Through the extended period of laying the stones in various locations, the project enables close cooperation between survivors and relatives on one side, and historical societies, foundations, homeowners, residents, municipalities, as well as students on the other. Together, they all dedicate themselves to the memory of the victims of National Socialism. Due to these many different social interactions, the art memorial STOLPERSTEINE becomes a so-called SOCIAL SCULPTURE.
Our STOLPERSTEINE have so far been laid in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Finland, France, Greece, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Croatia, Latvia, Lithuania, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Hungary.
As of August 2024, the project has grown to over 107,000 stones laid in almost 1900 municipalities.