Stolperstein dedicated to Manuel Arredondo Santamaría

The Stolperstein for Manuel Arredondo Santamaría in Madrid is a small brass memorial stone set into the pavement in the eastern part of the city centre, close to Retiro Park. It commemorates a Spanish army officer deported by the Nazis to a concentration camp during the Second World War.

Who was Manuel Arredondo Santamaría?

Born on 12 May 1891 in Santoña, in the region of Cantabria, Manuel Arredondo Santamaría followed a career in the military. He entered the Artillery Academy on 1 September 1910, was promoted to lieutenant in June 1916 and to captain in April 1920. On 27 March 1943 he was deported from the Gare de l'Est in Paris to the Mauthausen-Gusen concentration camp in Austria, where he was registered as prisoner number 25,498. He survived and was liberated by Allied forces on 5 May 1945, though by then he was suffering from typhus and weighed only around 35 kilograms. He spent a long recovery at La Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris before eventually returning to Spain. He died in Madrid in 1966.

What exactly is a Stolperstein, and why is one here?

A Stolperstein, or "stumbling stone", is a small 10x10x10 centimetre concrete block topped with a brass plate engraved with a victim's name and key dates. These stones are set into the pavement outside the last address a person chose to live at of their own free will, as part of a continent-wide memorial project marking victims of Nazism. Madrid's first Stolpersteine were laid on 26 April 2019, and more have been added to the city's streets since then, each recalling a Spaniard deported to a German concentration camp.

How do you get there?

The stone sits in the eastern part of central Madrid, not far from Retiro Park (coordinates: 40.424859, -3.672683). The metro is the easiest way to reach the area — O'Donnell station on Line 6 is the closest stop, leaving a short walk through the surrounding residential streets. Since the stones themselves are small and set flush with the pavement, it's worth keeping a map app open, as they are easy to walk past without noticing.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

This part of Madrid pairs naturally with a visit to Retiro Park, one of Europe's finest city parks, home to a boating lake, the Crystal Palace and long tree-lined avenues. The streets around the memorial are quiet and residential, a world away from the crowds of Puerta del Sol or Gran Vía, and give visitors a more everyday sense of how madrileños actually live.

Frequently asked questions

Is it worth visiting a Stolperstein if it's just a small stone in the pavement? Yes — this isn't a conventional tourist attraction but a place of memory. Pausing for a moment to read the inscription is a simple way of acknowledging one specific person and their story.

Is there an entrance fee? No. Stolpersteine sit in public pavements and can be visited at any time, free of charge.

Are there other Stolpersteine in Madrid? Yes. Since 2019, more stones have gradually been added around the city, each dedicated to a different victim of deportation.

How do you spot the stone among the paving? Look for its distinctive polished brass surface engraved with a name, which stands out clearly from the surrounding stone cobbles.