Stolperstein dedicated to Luis García Manzano

The Stolperstein dedicated to Luis García Manzano is a small brass memorial plaque set into the pavement in Madrid's Tetuán district, on Calle Topete. It marks the fate of a local resident who was deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp during the Second World War.

Who was Luis García Manzano?

Luis García Manzano was one of the many Spanish Republicans who fled across the border into France after the end of the Spanish Civil War. Like thousands of other refugees, he was detained by French authorities upon arrival and sent to the internment camp at Argelès-sur-Mer. From there he fell into German hands and, in December 1941, was deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria.

Inside the camp, García Manzano did not remain passive in the face of the terror around him. He took part in resistance activity organized among fellow prisoners and helped establish a camp orchestra — an initiative that, for many deportees, became one of the few ways to assert humanity within a system built to strip it away.

He survived and, after liberation, chose to stay in France rather than return to Spain. He worked with his hands, taking jobs as a woodcutter and painter, and started a family, marrying a woman named Margarita. In later years he shared his testimony with younger generations, giving talks in schools in Perpignan about the history of the deportation of Spaniards to Nazi camps. He died in 1999 from lung disease, a direct consequence of the years he had spent in Mauthausen.

Where exactly is the memorial stone?

The Stolperstein for Luis García Manzano sits on the pavement of Calle Topete, in the Tetuán district in northern Madrid — the neighborhood where he lived before his deportation. The plaque is one of eight Stolpersteine unveiled on 28 May 2021, honoring Tetuán residents who were sent to German concentration camps.

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

The Stolpersteine project ("stumbling stones") was created by German artist Gunter Demnig. The concept is simple: a small brass plate bearing a victim's name, deportation date, and, where known, ultimate fate is embedded in the pavement outside their last known home. In Spain, the project has been extended to Republicans deported to camps following their defeat in the civil war, and Madrid — including the Tetuán district — has become a place where such plaques are steadily unveiled, restoring public memory of residents persecuted under the Third Reich.

Frequently asked questions

What does the plaque itself say? The brass plate is engraved with Luis García Manzano's name and identifies Madrid as the location; plaques of this kind typically also include birth, deportation, and, where known, death dates.

How do I get there? The stone lies on the pavement of Calle Topete in the Tetuán district, easily reached by metro (Tetuán station, Line 1) or by city bus.

Are there other Stolpersteine nearby? Yes — this stone is part of a set of eight plaques unveiled in Tetuán in May 2021, commemorating other residents of the district deported to Nazi camps, so several similar memorials can be found close by.

Who is behind the Stolpersteine project in Madrid? The initiative is coordinated by local historical memory associations together with district authorities, following the wider European Stolpersteine project founded by Gunter Demnig, which is now present in many cities across Europe, including Spain.