Stolperstein dedicated to Doroteo Gordo Alonso

The Stolperstein dedicated to Doroteo Gordo Alonso is a small brass memorial plaque set into the pavement in central Madrid, on Gran Vía 9. It belongs to the wider "Stolperstein" (stumbling stone) project, a network of thousands of similar markers across Europe that commemorate individuals persecuted or killed under the Nazi regime. This particular stone is part of Madrid's own chapter of the project and makes for a quiet but meaningful stop while walking through the city centre.

What exactly is this memorial stone?

Stolpersteine were conceived by German artist Gunter Demnig, who started the initiative in 1996. Each brass plaque is embedded in the pavement outside the last known home or workplace of a victim, engraved with their name, year of birth, and a brief outline of what happened to them — arrest, deportation, camps, and, where known, their eventual fate. In Madrid, the project has been coordinated since 2019 by Isabel Martínez and Juan Rodríguez, and the city now counts several dozen such stones spread across different neighbourhoods.

Who was Doroteo Gordo Alonso?

Doroteo Gordo Alonso was born in 1913. He worked as a doorman at the building on Gran Vía 9 — the very spot where his stone now sits. During the Spanish Civil War he was promoted to lieutenant on 31 December 1936. He was arrested in April 1943, a fate shared by many Spanish Republicans of the period who ended up deported abroad. His path led through the Compiègne transit camp in France and then to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Germany, where he arrived on 19 January 1944. The inscription on the stone also references the Ohrdruf subcamp. Beyond that point, his fate is unknown — the stone ends with the words "destino desconocido" (fate unknown). His story reflects that of many Spanish Republicans who went into exile in France after the Civil War, only to be caught up in Nazi deportations once Germany occupied the country.

Where is it and how do you get there?

The stone sits at number 9 on Gran Vía, one of Madrid's busiest and most central avenues, linking the area around Plaza de España with the city's main shopping district. The location is very easy to reach: the nearest metro stations are Gran Vía and Callao (lines 3 and 5), and it's just a few minutes' walk from Puerta del Sol. Keep in mind the stone itself is tiny — about the size of a single paving block, flush with the pavement — so it's easy to miss if you're not looking down. Scanning the ground near building entrances along this stretch of Gran Vía, you may also spot other similar stones dedicated to different victims.

When is the best time to visit?

There's no fixed schedule to worry about, since the stone is simply part of the street and can be viewed at any hour. Daytime visits work best, when natural light makes the engraved text easier to read and Gran Vía is somewhat less crowded than in the evening. November is a particularly fitting time to pause here, as it's a month when many remembrance events tied to the victims of Nazism take place across Europe.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Stolperstein? It's a brass plaque set into the pavement that commemorates a specific person persecuted or killed under the Nazi regime, usually placed outside their last home or workplace.

Who was Doroteo Gordo Alonso? He was a doorman at Gran Vía 9 in Madrid who was promoted to lieutenant during the Spanish Civil War, then arrested in 1943 and deported to the Buchenwald concentration camp.

Is there a fee to see the stone? No, it sits in a public, open-air location on the pavement and can be visited free of charge at any time.

Are there other Stolpersteine in Madrid? Yes, the city has several dozen of them dedicated to different victims, and local coordinators continue to add new stones to the project.