You may stop, read the text and bow your head to do so. Stolpersteine lie flush with the pavement, so the name can only be read by bowing. Photographing a stone is normal, as it is at any public memorial. At ceremonies, names are read aloud and flowers are often laid, and you may lay flowers in the same way at a stone you visit.
Why you bow
The stones commemorate people persecuted by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945, and also people who survived, for example by fleeing or going into hiding. The German artist Gunter Demnig says that you stumble with your head and your heart, not with your feet. Each stone is a concrete block of about 10 by 10 by 10 centimetres with a brass plate on top. The inscription usually begins with “HIER WOHNTE” in German, “HIER WOONDE” in Dutch or “ICI HABITAIT” in French, which all mean “here lived”. The name, the year of birth and what happened follow. Some stones say “here worked” or “here studied” instead. In Dutch, people often say struikelsteen.
Demnig often quotes a saying from the Talmud: a person is only forgotten when his or her name is forgotten. Reading the text is what the stone is for.
Walking past a stone
Standing on or walking over a stone by accident is not regarded as an offence by the project. Most people simply step around the stones once they notice them. Some people object to the form, because the names lie on the ground where people walk. Supporters answer that walking past is not disrespect, that bowing to read is the point, and that many relatives ask for the stones themselves.
Cleaning
Anyone may clean a stone, and no permission is needed. Brass turns brown outdoors and then dark, so stones should be cleaned at least once a year, and more often if possible. The cleaning guide explains how.
Who asks for a stone
Stones are requested and paid for by private people and local groups, such as relatives, residents, schools and local history societies. The municipality must give permission, because the pavement is public ground.
Search the map to see who is commemorated at an address near you.
Read on
Is it disrespectful to step on a Stolperstein?
Stepping on a Stolperstein by accident is not regarded as an offence by the project. Supporters say that walking past is not disrespect.
What do the Dutch words on a Stolperstein mean?
Dutch stones use short words such as gedeporteerd, vermoord and ondergedoken. This guide explains what they mean, so you can read the text on a stone.
What do the German words on a Stolperstein mean?
German stones use short words such as Jg., deportiert and ermordet. This guide explains what they mean, so you can read the text on a Stolperstein.
