Stolperstein dedicated to Jan Uher

The Stolperstein for Jan Uher is a small brass memorial stone set into the pavement on Rudišova Street in Brno, commemorating a professor of pedagogy and resistance member executed by the Nazis in 1942. Barely larger than the surrounding cobblestones, it's part of artist Gunter Demnig's Europe-wide project and one of several such stones scattered across Brno.

Where exactly is the stone?

The Stolperstein is set into the pavement in front of the building at Rudišova 161/6 in Brno — the address where Jan Uher lived before his arrest. It was laid in 2014, and its polished brass surface stands out clearly against the surrounding paving stones.

What does the inscription say?

Following the standard Stolperstein format, the text opens with "Zde žil" ("Here lived"), then gives the essentials: his name and title, Prof. PhDr. Jan Uher, his birth year of 1891, his 1939 arrest in Brno, and the date and place of his death — 27 October 1942, in Berlin.

Who was Jan Uher?

Jan Uher was born on 28 January 1891 in Prostějov, the son of a factory worker. After grammar school and teacher training, he taught in central Moravia before studying philosophy and Slavic studies at Charles University in Prague, earning his doctorate in 1921. He habilitated at Masaryk University in Brno in 1925, became an associate professor in 1935, and in 1938 took up a chair at Comenius University in Bratislava, where he also headed the State Pedagogical Institute. He specialised in pedagogy and co-edited Czechoslovakia's first pedagogical encyclopedia.

What was his role in the resistance?

After the German occupation of the Czech lands, Uher joined the underground resistance, co-founding a Brno-based group known as the Zemský národní výbor (Provincial National Committee). He was arrested for this in November 1939.

How was he imprisoned, and how did he die?

After his arrest, Uher was held successively in Brno, Wrocław, Diez an der Lahn, and Berlin. In June 1942 the Volksgerichtshof (People's Court) sentenced him to death for preparing high treason. While awaiting execution he was allowed to keep working, writing several hundred pages of research notes. Before his death he wrote three farewell letters to his family and inscribed a personal epitaph in his Bible. He was executed on 27 October 1942 at Berlin-Plötzensee prison, leaving behind two sons, Boris and Jan. He was posthumously awarded the Czechoslovak War Cross 1939 in 1946 and the Order of Tomáš Garrigue Masaryk, 2nd Class, in 1992; streets in Brno and Prostějov now bear his name.

What are Stolpersteine?

Stolpersteine ("stumbling stones") are an ongoing international project by German artist Gunter Demnig, begun in the 1990s. Brass cobblestones are set into pavements outside the last known homes of people persecuted, imprisoned, deported, or killed under the Nazi regime — not only Jewish victims, but also political prisoners and resistance members. Today it forms the largest decentralised memorial in the world, with tens of thousands of stones laid across Europe.

What should visitors know before going?

The stone sits in an ordinary residential part of Brno, away from the main tourist routes, so it's worth seeking out with the exact address in hand — it's easy to walk past without noticing. Visiting is a chance to pause and connect with the fate of one specific person, rather than an abstract statistic of totalitarian violence.

Frequently asked questions

Who was Jan Uher? A professor of pedagogy who taught in Brno and Bratislava and took part in the anti-Nazi resistance; he was executed by the Germans in 1942 for preparing high treason.

Where exactly is the Stolperstein located? In the pavement at Rudišova 161/6 in Brno, the address where Jan Uher lived before his arrest.

When was the stone laid? In 2014.

When and where did Jan Uher die? He was executed on 27 October 1942 at Berlin-Plötzensee prison, following a June 1942 death sentence from the People's Court.

Why was he arrested? For co-founding the underground resistance organisation Zemský národní výbor in Brno; he was arrested in November 1939.

What exactly are Stolpersteine? Brass memorial stones set into pavements outside the homes of Nazi victims across Europe, part of Gunter Demnig's project to commemorate individuals by name rather than as anonymous numbers.