Stolperstein dedicated to Máximo González Casado

The Stolperstein for Máximo González Casado is a small brass memorial stone set into a pavement in central Madrid, marking the fate of one of Spain's victims of Nazism.

What is a Stolperstein, and why is one in Madrid?

Stolpersteine — literally "stumbling stones" — are small brass plaques embedded in the pavement outside the last known address of a person persecuted or killed under Nazi rule. The project began in Germany but has since spread to Madrid, a city from which hundreds of Spaniards left for exile in France after the Republic's defeat in the Civil War, only to be swept up in Nazi deportations once Germany invaded France. The Madrid initiative is coordinated by Isabel Martínez and Jesús Rodríguez, with support from historian Benito Bermejo, and aims to give back names and addresses to people who for decades existed only as numbers in German camp records. The stone honouring Máximo González Casado sits on Calle San Vicente Ferrer 76, in the Centro district, at the address where he lived before the war.

Who was Máximo González Casado?

Máximo González Casado was born in 1902 in Navalagamella, a town near Madrid. He fought on the Republican side during the Spanish Civil War. After the Republic's defeat in 1939, like thousands of other Republicans, he went into exile in France, leaving behind his wife Teodora — pregnant at the time — and their young son. In France he joined the Compañías de Trabajadores, labour companies that worked alongside the French army as it tried to hold off the German invasion. He was captured at Dunkirk in 1940 and deported to the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria, where he died in February 1942. He never met the daughter born after he had already left Madrid. His wife Teodora received a German pension after his death and later spent twelve years in prison under the Franco regime.

How do you get to the stone?

The Stolperstein is set into the pavement near a street corner on Calle San Vicente Ferrer, in the heart of Madrid's Malasaña neighbourhood. It's an easy walk from the metro stations serving lines 1 and 2 in the city centre. The stone itself is small and easy to miss if you don't already know what you're looking for, so it's worth checking the exact address beforehand.

What will you see there?

The stone is a modest brass plaque set flush into the sidewalk, engraved with the person's name, year of birth, date of deportation, and place and date of death. It's understated but powerful — one of more than thirty such stones already placed around Madrid, with plans for hundreds more, since several hundred residents of the city were deported to German camps. The stone for Máximo González Casado was one of fifteen laid during a ceremony in July 2021, attended by descendants of the victims, including members of González Casado's own family.

When should you visit?

There's no fixed schedule or entry fee — the stone sits in a public street and can be visited at any time. Since Calle San Vicente Ferrer runs through the busy, densely built Malasaña neighbourhood, mornings tend to be quieter, giving you a better chance to pause and read the inscription without being jostled by foot traffic.

Frequently asked questions

What does "Stolperstein" mean? It's German for "stumbling stone" — the idea being that passersby symbolically stumble, pause, and are reminded of the fate of a specific, once-anonymous person.

Is there an entry fee? No. The stone is in a public street and can be visited free of charge at any time.

Are there other stones like this in Madrid? Yes. Madrid already has more than thirty such stones, and the local initiative behind them plans to add hundreds more in the coming years, honouring residents deported to Nazi camps.

Why is this stop worth including on a visit to Madrid? It's a brief but moving detour through the city centre — a reminder that the history of the Spanish Civil War and the Second World War intersected in the lives of real, named individuals, not just in the statistics of a history book.