Stolperstein

Stolpersteine (German expression for "stumbling blocks", obstacles, something in the way) is a project of the artist Gunter Demnig. These memorials are supposed to remind of the people deported and then killed by the Nazis mostly in Nazi concentration camps or extermination camps.

Those persecuted by the Nazis were Jews, Sinti and Romani people (also called gypsies), members of the resistance during World War II, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, Christians in opposition and disabled people.

"Here lived"

Schools, relatives, and various organizations investigate facts about people, who were deported or persecuted during the regime of Nazi Germany. The databank of Yad Vashem, Jerusalem provides more information.

Once the investigation work has been done, Demnig manufactures a concrete cube of 10 cm/ 4 in, which he covers with a sheet of brass. Then he adds the writing “Hier wohnte” (Here lived), the name, year of birth and the fate: mostly the date of deportation and of death. The Stolperstein is then put down flush in the pavement/sidewalk in front of the last residence of the victim.

The financial requirements are covered by donations, collections, individual citizens, contemporary witnesses, school classes, or communities. One Stolperstein costs €95.

First Stolpersteine

After Demnig had the idea in 1993, the first exhibition took place in 1994 in Cologne. The then priest of the Antoniter church encouraged the project. In 1995 Demnig began to install Stolpersteine on trial without approval in Cologne, then in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In 1996 he set out 55 Stolpersteine in Berlin within the scope of the project “artists investigate after Auschwitz”. 1997 he put down the first two Stolpersteine for Jehovah's Witnesses in Sankt Georgen bei Salzburg, Austria on the suggestion of the cultural initiative KNIE and Austrian Service Abroad. Four years later, he received permission to put up 600 more Stolpersteine in Cologne.

Germany (in alphabetical order)

In Apolda there are Stolpersteine put down on May 2008 in Bernhard-Prager-Gasse, in October 2008 in Lessingstraße, Bahnhofstraße, Bernhardstraße and Weimarische Straße

In Bamberg in the Franz-Ludwig-Strasse almost half of the homes are marked by stumbling blocks.

In Berlin there are about 1,400 Stolpersteine.

In Bonn there are over 100 stumbling blocks in the center and in other quarters.

By the beginning of 2005, 1,400 Stolpersteine had been put down in Cologne

In Düren the first Stolpersteine were put down on June 26, 2005.

In Essen over 170 Stolpersteine have been placed in more than 20 quarters since 2004.

In Frankfurt am Main more than 200 Stolpersteine were placed in 15 quarters. The Jewish Museum assists the efforts. Over 12,000 Jews were deported and murdered.

In Frankfurt (Oder) the first seven Stolpersteine were put down on May 8, 2006.

About 270 Stolpersteine were installed in Freiburg im Breisgau since 2002 by civil rights movements in close partnership with the municipality. This initiative can be asked for advice by all donors who want to contribute to the erection of stumbling blocks.

In Giessen there are Stolpersteine put down on February 2009.

In Hamburg there are (as of April 2007) 1,800 Stolpersteine in front of former residences or in the case of the homeless homosexuals in front of the shelter (Pik As), which were initiated by district‘s and victim’s initiatives. There’s another stumbling block in commemoration of a former senator, 15 paces to the right of the entrance of Hamburg’s town hall. Many papers report about the project and expand the investigations. Between 1941 and 1945 10.000 Jews were deported from Hamburg.

In Hanover the first Stolpersteine were put down on December 6, 2007.

In Konstanz experiences in Freiburg were taken into account. After discussions, teams of interested citizens, who investigated fates of victims, were established and cooperated with municipal authorities. Donors were found through reports in newspapers. The first three Gedenksteine were put down in September 2006 for a Jewish, a euthanasia and a political victim.

In Leipzig there are also quite a lot of Stolpersteine, for instance in Alexanderstraße.

In Überlingen a book about a persecuted family was the foundation for three Stolpersteine, which were put down in front of the building authorities.

In Würzburg there are many Stolpersteine, some of them in Annastraße

Austria (alphabetical order)

In the Upper Austrian city of Braunau am Inn, the birthplace of Adolf Hitler, and in the whole district 11 Stolpersteine were put down on August 11, 2006.

Since August 2006 22 stumbling blocks were laid in Moedling near Vienna.

In August 2007 3 Stolpersteine were installed in Salzburg.

In St. Georgen, Austria near Salzburg already in 1997 two stumbling blocks for Jehovah's Witnesses were installed and later destroyed. Two further blocks were after critics laid off. The two destroyed were reinstalled in 2006.

Since 2005 Vienna has further developed Demnig’s idea. Till now Stolpersteine were put down in the second district (Leopoldstadt) around Volkertplatz. A „path of commemoration“ with additional material all over the second discrict is planned and partially supported by the city of Vienna.

Hungary

In Hungary Stolpersteine were laid since April 2007. About 600,000 Jews were deported and murdered.

In the center of Budapest in the Raday street first stumbling blocks were installed.

The Netherlands

In November 2007 the first Struikelstennen (Dutch for Stolpersteine) were laid in Borne.

[[1]Borne]

13,000 Stolpersteine

As of October 2007, Gunter Demnig had put down more than 13,000 Stolpersteine in more than 280 cities. He expanded his project beyond the borders of Germany to Austria, Italy, the Netherlands and Hungary. Some Gedenksteine were scheduled to be put down in Poland on September 1, 2006, but this did not take place because permission was withdrawn.

Critical responses

In some cities, such as Munich, the Stolpersteine were rejected politically. In other cities a more or less long discussion preceded the permission. For example, the city of Krefeld claimed, together with the Jewish community, that the names of the victims were such more or less constantly kicked. Finally, a compromise was made: if the owner of the houses and the relatives of the victims agreed, the Stolpersteine could be put down. In the meantime the first Stolpersteine could be installed there. Simbach am Inn for example refused to install a Stolperstein in commemoration of Georg Hauner who was executed on May, 1 1945 because he deserted in the last days of Second World War.

Also some house owners were against Stolpersteine in front of their houses, because they were afraid of the depreciation and didn’t want to be reminded of the atrocities committed by Nazis every day. In one case in Cologne, a Stolperstein was placed apart from the entrance at the border of the sidewalk (i. e. near to the street).

Reactions of passersby

People’s attention is drawn towards the Stolpersteine by reports in newspapers and their personal experience. Their thoughts are directed towards the victims.

Literature

Kurt Walter und AG Spurensuche: "Stolpersteine in Duisburg". Herausgeber: Ev. Kirchenkreis Duisburg/ Ev. Familienbildungswerk, Duisburg 2005, ISBN 3-00017-730-2
Marlis Meckel: "Den Opfern ihre Namen zurückgeben. Stolpersteine in Freiburg", Rombach Verlag, Freiburg 2006,ISBN 3-79305-018-1
Beate Meyer (Hrsg.): "Die Verfolgung und Ermordung der Hamburger Juden 1933-1945. Geschichte, Zeugnis, Erinnerung." Landeszentrale für Politische Bildung, Hamburg, 2006. (also: list of names and of the location of stumbling blocks in Hamburg up to 2006)
Kirsten Serup-Bilfeldt: "Stolpersteine. Vergessene Namen, verwehte Spuren. Wegweiser zu Kölner Schicksalen in der NS-Zeit", Kiepenheuer & Witsch, 2003, ISBN 3-46203-535-5
Oswald Burger/ Hansjörg Straub: "Die Levingers. Eine Familie in Überlingen." Eggingen 2002, ISBN 3-86142-117-8

Film

A documentary report was shot by Dörte Franke.

External links

Stolpersteine in Germany

Stolpersteine in Austria

Stolpersteine in Hungary

(Hungarian) Stolpersteine in Budapest