Stolpersteine in Madrid

Stolpersteine in Madrid are a scattered network of small brass memorial plaques set into the pavement across the Spanish capital, each one marking the last freely chosen home of a resident deported and murdered by the Nazi regime during the Second World War. Rather than a single monument in one location, the stones are spread throughout the city, one outside each victim's former address.

What exactly are Stolpersteine?

Stolpersteine (German for "stumbling stones") is the name of a project begun in 1996 by German artist Gunter Demnig, who embeds small concrete cubes topped with a brass plate into city sidewalks across Europe. Each plate measures ten by ten centimetres and is inscribed with the victim's name, date of birth, and details of their deportation and death. The idea is that a passer-by, noticing the slight bump underfoot, pauses, bends down, and reads the name — briefly restoring the person to the address from which they were taken. More than 100,000 stones have now been laid in over thirty European countries, making it the largest decentralised memorial in the world.

When did the stones arrive in Madrid?

The first Stolpersteine in the Madrid region — including the capital itself and the nearby town of Moralzarzal — were laid personally by Gunter Demnig on 26 April 2019. Since then the project has grown steadily, as more families of victims come forward requesting a stone at their relative's former address, prompting further installation visits.

Where in Madrid can visitors find them?

More than 108 stones have been installed across the city to date. The heaviest concentrations are in the neighbourhoods of Lavapiés, Embajadores, Chamberí, Malasaña, and Tetuán, along with other points in the city centre where Madrid residents later deported to concentration camps once lived. Madrid's city council maintains an open dataset listing the plaques' locations, which makes it possible to plan a self-guided walk connecting several stones.

Who runs the project in Madrid?

The local initiative has long been driven by Isabel Martínez Narro and Jesús Rodríguez Pérez, who liaise with Gunter Demnig's foundation in Germany, process requests from victims' families, and coordinate each new round of installations. Their work has also produced a documentation project titled "Madrid 100 Stolpersteine: Una piedra. Un nombre. Una persona" ("One stone. One name. One person"), which maps all the locations, includes photographs, and features watercolour paintings by artist David Cárdenas Lorenzo based on the victims' biographies. The initiative also organises exhibitions, talks, and themed neighbourhood walks — such as one through Malasaña — that combine historical remembrance with public education.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a single monument you can visit in one place? No — it's a dispersed network of more than 108 individual stones across the city, concentrated in Lavapiés, Chamberí, Malasaña, and Tetuán, each set into the pavement outside a specific victim's former home.

Who installs the stones, and how does the process work? The stones are laid personally by Gunter Demnig or members of his team, after a request from a victim's family or from the local coordinators — in Madrid, Isabel Martínez Narro and Jesús Rodríguez Pérez — who liaise with the artist's foundation in Germany.

When were the first stones laid in Madrid? Demnig personally installed the first plaques in the Madrid region, including the capital, on 26 April 2019.

Is there a map of all the locations? Yes. Madrid's city council publishes an open dataset of plaque locations, and the local initiative also maintains its own documentation project with a map and photographs covering all 108 stones.