Stolperstein dedicated to František Geisler

František Geisler's memorial stone is one of Brno's "Kameny zmizelých" – the Czech branch of the international Stolpersteine project – set into the pavement outside Veveří 75 in the city centre. The small brass cobblestone marks the home of a man who died fighting Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

Who was František Geisler?

František Geisler was born on 25 July 1918 in Hall in Tirol, Austria. Trained as an engineer at the College of Agriculture (Vysoká škola zemědělská), he began his military career with the Czechoslovak 10th Dragoon Regiment in Mukachevo. After Germany occupied Czechoslovakia, he escaped abroad and joined the Czechoslovak army-in-exile, serving in France and, from August 1940, in Britain, where he trained in offensive combat tactics in Scotland in 1942. He later served in the Soviet Union with the 2nd Czechoslovak Independent Parachute Brigade, reaching the rank of lieutenant.

How did he die?

Geisler was killed in action on 18 September 1944 during the Carpathian-Dukla Operation, near the village of Pastwiska on the Polish side of the Dukla Pass. He was buried there; a symbolic grave (cenotaph) stands at the Olomouc-Chválkovice cemetery.

What does the inscription say?

The brass plaque reads, in translation: "Here lived František Geisler, born 25 July 1918, fell in battle on 18 September 1944 at the Dukla Pass." It was laid on 28 May 2017 in front of the house at Veveří 75, where he had lived before the war.

What are Stolpersteine / Kameny zmizelých?

The Stolperstein ("stumbling stone") project was started in the early 1990s by German artist Gunter Demnig. Small brass cobblestones, engraved with a short biography, are set into the pavement outside the last known home of a person persecuted or killed by the Nazi regime. In the Czech Republic the stones are called Kameny zmizelých and commemorate not only Holocaust victims but also resistance members and Czechoslovak soldiers who fought and died opposing Nazi Germany. Brno has installed dozens of these stones, several of them – including Geisler's – placed in a series of ceremonies starting on 17 September 2014.

Where exactly is the stone?

It sits in the pavement in front of the building at Veveří 75 in Brno, a short walk from the city centre, on a street lined with interwar residential buildings that connects the centre to the Veveří district and Lužánky park.

Is Geisler commemorated anywhere else in Brno?

Yes. A memorial plaque for him hangs on a post-office building in Brno, and a street, Geislerova, is named after him.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a typical Holocaust-victim Stolperstein? No – this stone commemorates a Czechoslovak army-in-exile soldier killed in combat against Germany, not a victim of deportation or a concentration camp. The Czech Kameny zmizelých project covers a broader group of Nazi victims.

When was the stone laid? On 28 May 2017.

Where is it located? In front of the house at Veveří 75 in Brno.

Can it be included in a walk around Brno? Yes – Veveří is a quiet, central street that fits easily into a walk from downtown Brno toward Lužánky park or the Veveří district.