Stolperstein dedicated to Gil Ruiz Domínguez

The Stolperstein dedicated to Gil Ruiz Domínguez is a small brass plaque set into a pavement in Madrid, one of several such "stumbling stones" placed around the city. Instead of a statue, it uses a few engraved lines to keep one person's story from disappearing.

Who was Gil Ruiz Domínguez?

Gil Ruiz Domínguez was born on 1 September 1901 in Atienza, in the province of Guadalajara. He worked as a printer, employed at a family typography business in Madrid. When the Spanish Civil War broke out, he enlisted in the Carabineros Corps in December 1936 and fought on the Madrid front, including in the areas of Ciudad Universitaria and the Manzanares river.

After the Republican defeat, he crossed into France near Puigcerdà in late January or early February 1939. He settled in Brittany with his wife, Juliana Pérez Borderas, and their two daughters. In France he was drafted into a foreign workers' company, and in June 1940 he was captured by German forces in the Vosges region. He was first held as a prisoner of war at Stalag XI-B in Fallingbostel.

Why does a stone stand in Madrid?

Stolpersteine ("stumbling stones") are small brass memorial plaques created by German artist Gunter Demnig, set into the pavement outside the last known address of a person persecuted under Nazism. In Madrid, this project has in recent years been extended to Spanish Republicans who fled to France after the civil war and were later deported to German concentration camps. Gil Ruiz Domínguez is one of them — the stone marks a place tied to his life in the city before his exile.

What happened to him afterward?

In September 1941, Gil Ruiz Domínguez was deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria and later transferred to the Gusen subcamp. He died there on 4 November 1941. Pneumonia was recorded as the official cause of death — a label that, under camp conditions, rarely reflected the real circumstances. His story is one of thousands tied to Mauthausen-Gusen, where roughly 7,000 Spaniards, mostly Republican refugees and former soldiers, were held during the war.

How do you get there, and what will you see?

The stone lies on a pavement in central Madrid (coordinates: 40.401647, -3.696781), reachable on foot, free to visit, with no set opening hours. The plaque itself is small, set flush among the paving stones, usually close to a building entrance — look down rather than around. It's worth slowing down to read the engraving: name, year of birth, deportation date, camp name, and date of death. This isn't a sight in the usual sense but a place of memory, best visited without rushing.

When is a good time to visit?

The stone is visible year-round, at any hour, since it's part of the pavement rather than a monument with visiting rules. Daytime is best, when the light makes the fine engraving easier to read. For anyone interested in 20th-century history and the fate of Spanish Republicans, it fits naturally into a longer walk connecting several similar memorial stones scattered across Madrid.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Stolperstein? A brass plaque set into the pavement to commemorate a specific victim of Nazi persecution, usually placed at their last known address. The project was started by German artist Gunter Demnig and now spans many European cities.

Who was Gil Ruiz Domínguez? A Madrid printer born in 1901 who fought in the Spanish Civil War, went into exile in France in 1939, was captured by German forces, and died in the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in November 1941.

Is there an entrance fee? No. The stone sits in a public street and can be visited free of charge at any time.

Can this be combined with other memory sites in Madrid? Yes. The city has several other Stolpersteine dedicated to different victims of Nazism, making it possible to plan a short historical-memory route through central Madrid.