Stolperstein dedicated to Richard Musil

The Stolperstein dedicated to Richard Musil is a small brass memorial cobblestone set into the pavement in the Černá Pole district of Brno, on třída Kpt. Jaroše 8. It commemorates a lawyer murdered during the Holocaust and forms part of the wider European project created by German artist Gunter Demnig, which today includes hundreds of thousands of similar stones.

Who was Richard Musil?

JUDr. Richard Musil was born on 22 October 1881. A lawyer by profession, he lived in Brno with his wife, Ida Musilová (born Stukhartová), in a house at what is now třída Kpt. Jaroše 8. That address, the couple's last freely chosen home, is where both of their memorial stones are set into the pavement today.

What happened to Richard Musil during the war?

On 28 January 1942, Richard Musil was deported from Brno on transport U, number 124, to the Terezín ghetto, together with his wife. Six weeks later, on 11 March 1942, he was put on a further transport, marked Aa, number 392, to Izbica in occupied Poland — a town that served the German authorities as a transit point before further deportation to extermination camps in the Lublin region. The Aa transport from Terezín to Izbica had no recorded survivors. Richard Musil perished during this period, as did his wife.

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

Stolpersteine — known in Czech as "kameny zmizelých," or "stones of the disappeared" — are small brass-topped cobblestones engraved with a victim's name, date of birth, and fate. The project was started in the 1990s by German artist Gunter Demnig, and the stones are always laid in front of the building where the victim lived before being forced to leave it. The stone dedicated to Richard Musil was unveiled on 29 October 2012, together with the stone commemorating his wife.

What does it look like, and where exactly can it be found?

The stone takes the form of a small cobblestone set flush with the surrounding pavement — it does not rise above street level, which is why it is easy to walk past without noticing unless you know what to look for. It lies in front of the building at třída Kpt. Jaroše 8 in the Černá Pole district, a short distance from Brno's city centre. Right beside it is the matching stone dedicated to Ida Musilová.

Why is it worth stopping here?

Stolpersteine are not a conventional tourist sight — there is no ticket booth and no multilingual information panel. Their power lies in their simplicity: a single name set into a pavement passed by residents every day, a reminder that the victims of the Holocaust were not an anonymous number but specific people who lived in specific houses. Seen alongside his wife's stone, Richard Musil's stone tells the story of a marriage torn apart by the war within the span of a few weeks.

Frequently asked questions

Where exactly is this Stolperstein located? In front of the building at třída Kpt. Jaroše 8 in the Černá Pole district of Brno.

When was the stone unveiled? On 29 October 2012.

What happened to Richard Musil? He was deported from Brno to Terezín in January 1942, and then to Izbica in March 1942, where he was killed.

Is there more than one Stolperstein at this spot? Yes — right next to Richard Musil's stone lies the stone dedicated to his wife, Ida Musilová.

Is there an entry fee? No, the stone is set in open public space and can be visited free of charge at any time.