A Day Of Stolpersteine Dedications – Stolpersteine Memorial

What is a Stolpersteine?

The German word Stolpersteine, translated into English, means stumbling stones. Commemorative Stolpersteine have been placed in many cities throughout Europe to honor the victims of the Holocaust. That includes both those who were killed, as well as those who survived.

When was Stolpersteine created?

In 1991, the artist, Gunter Demnig created a memorial on the 50th anniversary of the deportation of the Sinti and Roma victims of the Holocaust in Cologne, Germany. After the ceremony, an elderly lady asked what it represented, and Gunter stated it was a memorial for the Gypsies who were victims of the Holocaust. That was 46 years after the Holocaust had ended, and the elderly woman said she doubted that Gypsies ever resided in her community. This response compelled Gunter to create Stolpersteine, a huge memorial throughout Europe, to honor the Holocaust victims and their communities, so their memory would not be lost forever.

Who can be honored with a Stolpersteine?

A Stolpersteine commemorates anyone
persecuted or murdered by the Nazi regime.
Jews, Sinti & Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses,
Deserters, Homeless People, Prostitutes, Mentally and/or Physically Disabled,
People Persecuted for their Political Views,
People Persecuted for their Religion,
People Persecuted for their Sexual Orientation,
People Persecuted for the Color of their Skin.

Stolpersteine are not only placed for people who died, but also for “survivors”. For example, in front of one’s former home, a single Stolpersteine might be placed for a woman who survived Auschwitz alongside two additional Stolpersteine, one for each of her parents, who unfortunately did not survive. This “reunites” the family. Stolpersteine can also be placed for people who left their homes and escaped the Nazi terror, by going to Palestine, to South America or to other parts of the world.

Holocaust survivors, Joachim Kalter and his brother, Herbert Kalter survived World War II, by enduring the hardships of the concentration camps. Their father, Oskar Kalter was killed at Auschwitz in December of 1943. Their mother, Klara Kalter was killed at Belzec in November of 1942. Records show that their brother, Manfred Kalter survived the war, but no family member ever reconnected with him after the war, and the date of his death is still unknown. In 2019, after over seventy-five years of separation, the Kalter family were all united with Stolpersteine in front of their Leipzig, Germany home.

Where are the Stolpersteine placed?

Regardless of whether the victims were deported to a concentration camp or escaped, the Stolpersteine are usually installed in front of the victim's last home of choice. But Stolpersteine can also be placed in front of a school, university, synagogue or place of work, where the honored victim spent much of their life.

There are Stolpersteine in the following 25 European countries

Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark,
Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Hungary, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Moldova, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden,
Switzerland and the Ukraine.

Each local municipality
determines if it wants
to support the
Stolpersteine Program.

There are currently over 75,000
Stolpersteine honoring Holocaust victims
in over 1,000 different European municipalities.

The majority of the 75,000 Stolpersteine that have been dedicated are honoring Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Each of these Stolpersteine are located in what were once thriving Jewish communities throughout Europe.

In many of these cities, there is
very little trace of the
once thriving Jewish community.
This is why the Stolpersteine Project
has so much purpose.
To keep the memory of the 6,000,000
alive and to honor all of the survivors,
many of whom endured unimaginable horrors.

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