A Stolperstein in front of a house marks the last home that the person named on it chose freely, before they were forced to move, go into hiding or were arrested. Sometimes the stone marks a workplace or school instead. You can look up the address on the map, read who lived there and keep the stone clean.
What the inscription says
Dutch stones usually begin “HIER WOONDE” (here lived), German stones “HIER WOHNTE”. Then come the name, the year of birth and what happened, such as the date and place of arrest or deportation, and the place and date of death. Variants exist, such as “here worked” or “here studied”. Dutch stones may say geboren (born), gearresteerd (arrested), gedeporteerd (deported), vermoord (murdered) or overleefd (survived). German stones use words such as deportiert (deported), ermordet (murdered) and überlebt (survived).
What you can do
Look up the address on the map of Stolpersteine.app. You see who is commemorated there, and a photo of the person when one is available. Keep the stone clean. Anyone may do this, and no permission is needed. Brass tarnishes outdoors, so stones should be cleaned at least once a year. Use brass polish on a soft cloth, not directly on the stone, and avoid steel wool and harsh acids. The cleaning page on this site gives the steps.
Sending in what you know
If you know more about the person, such as a photo, a story or a correction, send it to Stichting 18 September at [email protected]. If the stone is damaged or missing, tell the local Stolpersteine group or the municipality. A stone is laid for one person, and families receive stones side by side. Stones are also laid for people who survived, for example by fleeing or going into hiding.
Walking over a stone
Standing on or walking over a stone by accident is not regarded as an offence by the project. Most people step around them once they notice. Stones are laid for people from all groups persecuted by the Nazis between 1933 and 1945, including Jews, Sinti and Roma, and resistance members.
Find your address on the map of Stolpersteine.app.
Read on
Why are there several Stolpersteine in front of one house?
Several Stolpersteine lie in front of one house because each stone is for one person and lies at the last home that person freely chose.
How do I make a walking route past Stolpersteine?
Open an address on the Stolpersteine.app map and choose a walking route past the stones nearby, as a round trip or one way, for the time you want to walk.
How do you behave at a Stolperstein?
You may stop, read and bow at a Stolperstein. Photographing a stone is normal, flowers are laid as at ceremonies, and anyone may clean a stone.
