Stolperstein: brass cobblestones around Europe

Although, I can’t remember the first time I read about or saw one of these, I see then all the time now.  Since I do frequent Europe, I wondered why I had never seen it before.  But every so often, walking around Austria or Germany, I see these brass cobblestones, or stolperstein… built into the ground, in front of a building.  

1. What are stolperstein?

The Stolperstein (which means stones to stumble upon) are an art project, by a German artist Gunter Demnig. The project commemorates those displaced and persecuted during WWII.  The placement of each brass cobblestone corresponds with the actual place the individual lived, before their forceful removal from their home. 

“one victim, one stone” 

Demnig’s motto.

However, the stolperstein are not just for those who died. But also, for those who lived.  In some cases, stolperstein reunite and commemorate families. In others, it commemorates where people lived and others perished.  Much research through the years determined the specifics around the individual and the location.  As of February 2019, there are over 70,000 stolperstein spread across 22 countries in Europe.

Stolperschwelle

The exception to the “one victim, one stone” motto, are the Stolperschwelle (or stumbling threshold). These commemorate groups of victims from one place. Examples include, an apartment complex, a factory, or a school, where they all lived.

2. Stolperstein in my travels

Since 2017, I’ve taken photos of the stolperstein I’ve come across.  There are a few I missed from before, in Nordlingen, Germany. However, I can’t find the photos anymore.

This post will be continuously updated with photos of new stolperstein that I find.  Recently updated on April 26, 2020, for new stolperstein found in Oslo, Norway.

3. Remembrance

As America becomes more polarized, we need to take a moment to think about the last time our world became so polarized. But more importantly, what became of the many people who suffered in that world.  Seeing each stolperstein stops me in my tracks. I take a moment to remember those those lives cut short, either physically or emotionally. 

From the stolperstein in these posts, and the many more that I have yet to see, we remember you.

• Saul Horowitz
• Scheindel Bucker
• Klara Horowitz
• Eliezer Richter
• Johanna Schiff
• Saly Richter
• Ernst Langfelder
• Blime Schachter
• Genedia Hofling
• Rene Hofling
• Kurt Hofling
• Karl Jakob Kohn
• Markus Rosenfeld
• Hinda Rosenfeld
• Leibisch Atlas
• Hildegard Atlas
• Alexander Neumann
• Margit Neumann
• Leopold Rottmann
• Sara Rottmann
• Benjamin Markus Leventhal
• Esther Leventhal
• Berit Leventhal

…and the other men, women, and children displaced and affected by the Holocaust.

Lannie

Lannie is a perpetual wanderer and loves to share her travel adventures and the food she eats along the way with everyone.  She works during the day while bouncing around the world and dreams about new places and faces at night!  She has a home on the magical Isle of Islay in Scotland, where the whisky flows freely and happily.

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