How do I make a walking route past Stolpersteine?

On the Stolpersteine.app map you can make a walking route past the Stolpersteine near an address. You open the address, choose a round trip or a route one way, and choose how long the walk takes. The route follows the streets.

How to make a route

• Search the map for an address, by name, street or city.
• Open the address. The route starts from that address.
• Choose a round trip, or a route one way.
• Choose how long you want to walk.

The route follows real streets. It does not run in a straight line from stone to stone. On the map you can see who is commemorated at each address, and sometimes a photo of that person. The app is free for iPhone and Android. The map comes from Stichting 18 September in Eindhoven, which has kept a database of Stolpersteine in the Netherlands and Belgium since 2019.

Practical tips

• Take your time. A Stolperstein lies flush with the pavement. To read the name, you bow. Plan the route so that you can read each stone calmly.
• Bring a soft cloth if you want to clean a stone. Anyone may clean a Stolperstein; no permission is needed. The cleaning page explains how.
• Report damage. If you see a damaged or missing stone, tell the local Stolpersteine group or the municipality, so that it can be put back or replaced.

What is on a stone

A Stolperstein is a concrete block of about 10 by 10 by 10 centimetres with a brass plate on top. The text usually begins HIER WOHNTE in German or HIER WOONDE in Dutch, both meaning “here lived”. 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.

A stone lies in front of the last home the person chose freely, before they were forced to move, go into hiding or were arrested. Sometimes it lies in front of a workplace or school. Each stone is for one person. Families get stones side by side, in front of their home.

Make your route on the Stolpersteine.app map.