Doris Julia Rauch

The Stolperstein dedicated to Doris Julia Rauch is a brass memorial stone set into the pavement on Lidická street in Brno. It marks the last known address of a woman deported by the Nazis during the Second World War who, unlike many others commemorated by these stones, survived the Holocaust.

Who is being remembered here?

Doris Julia Rauch was born on 26 August 1920 in Brno as Dora Perlhefter, the daughter of Arthur and Alice Anna Perlhefter (née Troller). She lived with her family at Lidická 16. On 5 December 1941 she was deported from Brno on transport K-294 to the Terezín (Theresienstadt) ghetto. From there, on 1 September 1942, she was sent on transport Be-77 to Raasiku in occupied Estonia, and later transferred to the Stutthof concentration camp, where she was registered under prisoner number 70451. She survived until the camp's liberation. In the spring of 1945 she reached Sweden as part of a Swedish Red Cross rescue operation for survivors from Czechoslovakia. She died on 23 June 2011 in the United States.

What exactly is a Stolperstein?

Stolpersteine, or "stumbling stones," are an ongoing international project by German artist Gunter Demnig, running since the early 1990s. Small brass-topped cobblestones are set into pavements outside the last freely chosen home of a victim of Nazi persecution. Each stone is engraved with a name, birth year, and a brief account of that person's fate — deportation, death, or, as in this case, survival. It is now the largest decentralized memorial in the world, comprising tens of thousands of stones across European cities, Brno included.

Where exactly is the stone located?

The stone commemorating Doris Julia Rauch sits in the pavement at Lidická 16 in Brno, the address where she lived before her deportation. It was unveiled on 17 September 2014, as part of a broader initiative laying Stolpersteine throughout the city. Lidická is one of the more prominent streets in central Brno, making the stone easy to visit while walking through the city.

What will you actually see?

The stone itself is small — a standard cobblestone roughly 10 centimeters across, set flush with the surrounding pavement. Its brass, slightly raised surface bears an engraved inscription giving her name, year of birth, and a condensed account of her fate: the date of deportation and the fact of her survival. There is no additional visitor infrastructure at the site — no information panel, no dedicated viewing area — the encounter with history happens literally underfoot, on an ordinary street.

When is the best time to visit?

The stone can be viewed year-round, at any hour, since it sits on an ordinary public pavement. The clearest photos of the engraved brass surface come on an overcast day or in the morning, when sunlight does not glare directly off the metal. It is worth avoiding peak pedestrian hours on Lidická.

Frequently asked questions

Did Doris Julia Rauch die in the Holocaust? No — unlike many people commemorated by Stolpersteine, she survived the war. After liberation from Stutthof she reached Sweden through a Swedish Red Cross rescue operation, and she lived until 2011, when she died in the United States.

Is there an entry fee? No, the stone sits on a public pavement and can be visited free of charge at any time.

Are there other Stolpersteine in Brno? Yes, Brno has many, commemorating residents deported and persecuted under the Nazi regime — some of them, like this one, mark stories of survival rather than death.

Do you need to book a visit in advance? No, this is not a museum or a restricted site — the stone can be seen simply by walking along Lidická street.