Stolperstein dedicated to Ida Musilová

The Stolperstein dedicated to Ida Musilová is one of the small brass memorial cobblestones set into the pavement in the Černá Pole district of Brno, on třída Kpt. Jaroše 8. It marks the last chosen home of a woman murdered during the Holocaust and forms part of the wider European project created by German artist Gunter Demnig.

Who was Ida Musilová?

Ida Musilová, born Stukhartová, came into the world on 17 March 1889. She lived in Brno with her husband, JUDr. Richard Musil, a lawyer, in a house at what is now třída Kpt. Jaroše 8 — the very address where both of their memorial stones are set into the pavement today, marking the building as their last self-chosen place of residence. Her brother, Hugo Stukhart, survived the war.

What happened to Ida Musilová during the war?

On 28 January 1942, Ida Musilová was deported from Brno to the Terezín ghetto together with her husband. A few weeks later, on 11 March 1942, both of them were put on a further transport to Izbica in occupied Poland — a town that served the German authorities as a transit point before further deportation to extermination camps in the Lublin region. Ida Musilová did not survive the Holocaust. Her husband perished during the same period.

What is a Stolperstein, and why is it placed here?

Stolpersteine — known in Czech as "kameny zmizelých," or "stones of the disappeared" — are small brass-topped cobblestones engraved with a victim's name, date of birth, and the fate that befell them. The project was started in the 1990s by German artist Gunter Demnig, and hundreds of thousands of these stones have since been laid across Europe, always set into the pavement in front of the building where the victim lived before being forced to leave. The stone dedicated to Ida Musilová stands exactly there and was unveiled on 29 October 2012, together with the stone commemorating her husband.

What does it look like, and where exactly can it be found?

The stone takes the form of a small cobblestone set flush with the surrounding pavement — it does not rise above street level, which is why it is easy to walk past without noticing unless you know what to look for. It lies in front of the building at třída Kpt. Jaroše 8 in the Černá Pole district, a short distance from Brno's city centre. Right beside it, in the same spot, is the matching stone dedicated to Richard Musil.

Why is it worth stopping here?

Stolpersteine are not a conventional tourist sight — there is no ticket booth and no multilingual information panel. Their power lies in their simplicity: a single name set into the pavement, passed by residents every day, reminding passers-by that the victims of the Holocaust were not an anonymous number but specific people who once lived in specific houses. Stopping at this spot offers a brief but powerful lesson in Brno's history under occupation.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is this Stolperstein located? In front of the building at třída Kpt. Jaroše 8 in the Černá Pole district of Brno.

When was the stone unveiled? On 29 October 2012.

What happened to Ida Musilová? She was deported from Brno to Terezín in January 1942, and then to Izbica in March 1942, where she was killed.

Is there more than one Stolperstein at this spot? Yes — right next to Ida Musilová's stone lies the stone dedicated to her husband, Richard Musil.

Is there an entry fee? No, the stone is set in open public space and can be visited free of charge at any time.