Who decides whether a Stolperstein is laid?

Private people and local groups take the initiative. These are relatives, residents, schools, local foundations and history societies. The municipality gives permission, because the pavement is public ground.

The role of relatives

Volunteers look for relatives of the person. Many relatives ask for stones themselves. Families receive stones side by side, so they are together again in front of their home. A sponsor pays for a stone. Costs and waiting times differ by country and organisation.

The role of the municipality

The municipality gives permission for a stone in the public pavement. This was not always the case. The first stones for individual people were laid in Cologne in 1995 and in Berlin-Kreuzberg in 1996, at first without official permission. In 1997 the first officially approved stones were laid in St. Georgen near Salzburg, Austria. From 2000 the city of Cologne gave permission, and the project grew from there.

Criticism of the form

Not everyone agrees with the form. Charlotte Knobloch, long-time head of the Jewish community of Munich, objects that the names lie on the ground where people walk over them. For that reason the city of Munich does not allow Stolpersteine on public ground. It uses plaques and steles on walls and posts instead. Supporters answer that walking past is not disrespect, that bowing to read is the point, and that many relatives ask for stones themselves.

If a stone is damaged, stolen or removed, tell the local Stolpersteine group or the municipality. Standing on a stone by accident is not regarded as an offence by the project. Most people step around them once they notice.

The ceremony

A stone is laid in a small ceremony, often with relatives, neighbours and schoolchildren. Names are read and often flowers are laid. For many years Gunter Demnig laid most stones himself. On 16 December 1992 he set a first stone in front of Cologne’s historic town hall, recalling the 1942 order to deport Sinti and Roma to Auschwitz.

On the map of Stolpersteine.app you can see where stones have been laid in your town and who is commemorated at each address.