Stolperstein dedicated to José Galinier Muñoz

The Stolperstein dedicated to José Galinier Muñoz is a small brass plaque set into the pavement on Calle Doctor Fourquet, in Madrid's Lavapiés-Embajadores neighbourhood. It belongs to the wider European "Stolpersteine" ("stumbling stones") project, which marks the last known homes of people deported and killed under the Nazi regime.

Where exactly is the stone?

The plaque sits outside Doctor Fourquet 20, right in the heart of Lavapiés — one of Madrid's most distinctive neighbourhoods, a short walk from Lavapiés metro station (line 3) and Embajadores station (lines 3 and 5). The street is a busy, densely built residential lane, so the stone is easy to miss: look down at the pavement rather than at the building fronts.

Who was José Galinier Muñoz?

José Galinier Muñoz lived at Doctor Fourquet 20 together with his siblings, Isabel and Federico, and his father, Carlos. He was deported to the Nazi concentration camp at Mauthausen, in Austria, where he died on 6 September 1941. What happened to the rest of the family afterwards is only partly documented: his sister Isabel appears at a series of addresses in Lavapiés in the municipal census records, while his brother Federico's trace disappears from those same records as early as 1925.

What is the Stolpersteine project?

Stolpersteine is an ongoing initiative started by German artist Gunter Demnig in the 1990s and since carried out across many European cities. Each brass stone is laid in front of a victim's last known address, engraved with their name and the dates and places of their deportation and death. The stone for José Galinier Muñoz is one of more than a dozen such markers placed in Lavapiés-Embajadores, a neighbourhood from which several residents were deported to concentration camps during the war.

What will you actually see?

The stone itself is modest — roughly the size of a paving block, flush with the pavement at the entrance to the building. There is no larger monument or explanatory panel here; the quiet, everyday setting is part of how these memorials work. Visitors typically pause for a moment at the stone, sometimes leaving a flower or a small stone, following a custom common at these memorials across Europe.

How should you behave when visiting?

This is a memorial, not a conventional sightseeing stop. It's worth pausing quietly, avoiding stepping directly on the plaque, and being mindful when taking photographs. Reading the inscription and taking a moment before moving on is the simplest way to visit respectfully, especially since the stone sits on an ordinary, busy residential street.

Frequently asked questions

What is a Stolperstein? A brass plaque set into the pavement outside the last home of a person persecuted or killed under the Nazi regime. The project was started by German artist Gunter Demnig.

Where exactly is this stone located? At Doctor Fourquet 20, in the Lavapiés-Embajadores neighbourhood of Madrid, close to the Lavapiés and Embajadores metro stations.

Who was José Galinier Muñoz? A resident of Lavapiés who was deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp, where he died on 6 September 1941. He lived with his sister Isabel, brother Federico, and their father Carlos.

Are there other stones like this in Madrid? Yes, more than a dozen Stolpersteine have been placed in the Embajadores neighbourhood for different residents deported during the war, with further ones planned.