The Stolpersteine: the indelible memory of a genocide

It was in 2018 when I had my first contact with the Stolpersteine. I was in Mainz, Germany, and while walking down one of its streets my eyes stopped at a brilliant gold that stood out between the cobblestones. I crouched down, curious, and immediately realized that the golden surface contained an inscription. A name, an address and a story were engraved on it.

The person who was with me, who knew German, translated the content for me and explained to me that this was part of a project of enormous magnitude, started many years ago by the artist Gunter Demnig and which had as aim commemorate the victims of Nazism. I was truly amazed, and I remember crying. I cried as I looked at that name that stood out from the sidewalk, a name that referred to a life. A life cut short by barbarism.

What are Stolpersteine?

Literally, the name comes to mean something like “stone that is tripped over.” The name is closely linked to the intention of the project creator; Obviously, it's not about people tripping and hurting themselves, but rather that they notice something prominent on the sidewalk and, full of curiosity, stop to look at it.

In fact, the small plaques where the names are inscribed barely stand out from the pavement. Perhaps what most attracts the attention of passers-by is the color of the brass that covers the stone, which reflects the sunlight and makes you, almost involuntarily, bring your eyes to it. It is as if he Stolperstein He will whisper to you silently: “Please look at me.”. It is important". Then, as if hypnotized, the walker stops and reads. And before his eyes appears the testimony of a name, sunk in the mists of the past, which is resurrected thanks to that minute of reading.

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The beginnings of a small big project

It all started in 1992, just when the 50th anniversary of the deportation mandate of a thousand innocent people was completed, all belonging to the gypsy people, by order of Heinrich Himmler (1900-1945), the sinister collaborator of Hitler. A German artist, Gunter Demnig (b. 1947) took a keen interest in commemorating the victims.

The project began to take shape in his mind two years before the fateful anniversary, in 1990.. At first, Demnig thought about the possibility of creating a single monument, but he soon realized that a project Absolutely decentralized would have a greater effect and, given the various locations, would be more suitable to honor the memory of the deportees.

The first Stolperstein was located in the Cologne Town Hall Square, where the thousand victims of the macabre order of 1942 came from.. It was December 16, 1992, just the day the mandate became official fifty years ago. That inaugural Stolperstein did not enjoy the administrative permission of the city council, as would happen with the following ones. It was not until 1997, that is, five years later, that Demnig obtained the first permit; On this occasion, it was in St. Georgen in Salzburg, Austria, where the city allowed him to install two commemorative stones. The decision had been sponsored by the Knie art project and the Austrian Memory Service.

From then on, the project was unstoppable. In Germany, Demnig did not obtain his first official permit until 2000, which was given to him by the Cologne administration; curiously, the city where it all began. In 2016, there were already more than 50,000 Stolpersteine ​​throughout Europe. Although, if we take into account that the victims of the Nazi regime rise to the shocking figure of 6 million, we see that there is still a lot of work to do.

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What is the process?

The Stolpersteine ​​are financed through donations or sponsorships. They are actually quite inexpensive: each piece costs only 120 euros. These are square and regular blocks, measuring 10x10x10 cm, which have a polished brass plate on the top where the information is recorded. This burnished brass, when in contact with sunlight, shines as if it were gold, which is precisely what attracts the attention of passers-by.

The process of placing each Stolperstein always moves a multitude of interested and curious people, among They, many young people of school age who learn, in this way, which is the past that should not be repeated. During the placement “ceremony,” Demnig and his team remove the paving stone from the pavement where the Stolperstein will be located and then proceed to place it in that same place.

In general, the memorial stones are located in front of the victim's last voluntary home or in front of his workplace. In the event that the building no longer exists (as often happens), the Stolperstein is placed in a place as close as possible to the original location of the house.

Admirers and detractors

Although it may seem like a lie, such a tribute does not only have admirers. There are several people who are “against” Demnig's project, who claim that there are already enough stones and no more are necessary. Taking into account that the total number at the time of writing this article is about 75,000, and that the victims (remember) amounted to the macabre number of 6 million, it is logical to deduce that the work is not, by any means, finished.

Because Demnig's idea is not to make a collective tribute, but rather an individual memory of each of these people. For most of them, the place where their remains rest is unknown, so the Stolpersteine ​​are a kind of commemorative tombstone, a place to honor his memory, as demonstrated by the profusion of flowers and messages there place.

Furthermore, the Stolpersteine ​​not only honor the victims of Nazi barbarism. They are a voice that is raised against fascism in general, since, for a few years, Demnig's team has been placing commemorative stones in Spain, in memory of the victims of Francoism. In this case, to differentiate them, the plate where the names are inscribed is silver.

That many people are against the Stolpersteine ​​is a fact. Of the total commemorative stones, 400 have been stolen by unknown authors, which gives an idea that Demnig's project has not gone down well with everyone. I, personally, will continue searching the cobblestones of Europe for those same reflections that caught my attention in Mainz. It is the least we can do to remember millions of innocent people and raise awareness among future generations so as not to repeat the (tremendous) mistakes of the past.