Stolperstein dedicated to Juan Bonet Bonell

The Stolperstein dedicated to Juan Bonet Bonell is a small brass memorial plaque set into the pavement in Madrid, outside the Instituto Lope de Vega on Calle de San Bernardo. It commemorates a teacher and Republican official who was deported to Nazi concentration camps for his political convictions.

Who was Juan Bonet Bonell?

Juan Bonet Bonell (1890–1970) was a philosophy professor and director of the Instituto Lope de Vega in Madrid. During the Spanish Civil War, in 1936, he served as civil governor of Castellón. Between 1937 and 1938 he chaired the Central Technical Board of Education within the Republican government's Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts.

After the Republic's defeat and Franco's victory, Bonet Bonell fled to France, where he joined the resistance movement. Vichy police arrested him while he was in hospital. In 1943, the Gestapo deported him by train to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and in 1945 he was transferred to Mauthausen. He survived the war and went into exile in Mexico in 1947, where he lived until his death in 1970.

What is a Stolperstein?

A Stolperstein, German for "stumbling stone," is a small brass plaque set into the pavement outside the last known home or workplace of a person persecuted by the Nazi regime. The project was started by German artist Gunter Demnig and has since spread to cities across Europe, including Madrid. In the Spanish capital, Stolpersteine have been installed in neighborhoods such as Malasaña and Chueca, marking the addresses of residents who were deported to German camps.

Why is the stone placed at Instituto Lope de Vega?

The location is deliberate. This is the school where Bonet Bonell taught philosophy and, at the start of the Civil War, served as director. Placing the Stolperstein at the entrance ties his biography to a specific building that still stands today — one that students and passers-by walk past every day.

How do you get there?

The stone sits on Calle de San Bernardo, right in central Madrid, at the border between the Malasaña and Chueca neighborhoods — a densely built, well-connected area served by both the metro and city buses. It's an easy walk from Gran Vía or Plaza de España, making it simple to combine with a stroll through the surrounding streets full of cafés and independent shops.

What should you know before visiting?

A Stolperstein isn't a conventional tourist sight, and it deserves to be approached with the seriousness the subject calls for. The plaque itself is small and easy to miss if you don't know what you're looking for — it lies flat in the pavement, right beside the school's entrance. It's worth planning the visit as part of a longer walk through Malasaña, where several other Stolpersteine commemorate other residents of the city.

Frequently asked questions

Did Juan Bonet Bonell die in a concentration camp? No. He survived his time in Sachsenhausen and Mauthausen, and after the war he emigrated to Mexico, where he lived until 1970.

Why was he sent to a concentration camp? As a Republican official and member of the French resistance, he was arrested by Vichy police and later deported by the Gestapo.

How is a Stolperstein different from a monument? It isn't a monument in the traditional sense but a small brass plaque set into the pavement at a place connected to a person's life — meant as a quiet, everyday reminder of a specific individual.

Are there other Stolpersteine in Madrid? Yes, similar memorial stones can be found at several points around the city, mainly in the Malasaña and Chueca neighborhoods, marking the homes of residents later deported to Nazi camps.