Stumbling blocks

The Stolpersteine are a project by artist Gunter Demnig that began in 1992. The 10 x 10 centimeter memorial plaques laid in the ground are intended to commemorate the people who were persecuted, murdered, deported, expelled or driven to suicide during the National Socialist era. They are usually set into the pavement or the surface of the respective sidewalk at the same level in front of the last freely chosen homes of the Nazi victims.

On May 26, 2023, Gunter Demnig laid stone number 100,000. Stolpersteine now commemorate the victims of National Socialism in 21 European countries.

The next Stumbling Stone ceremony in Bonn is planned for June 2026.

In Bonn, the Bonn Memorial coordinates this project

The memorial and Nazi documentation center researches and checks the information about the person to be commemorated by the stone. Any living relatives are asked for their consent and the original addresses are compared with the current street names. The data is then passed on to Gunter Demnig, who makes and lays the stones.

Since 2002, 442 Stolpersteine have been laid in Bonn. As a rule, the stones are laid once a year in Bonn. The Stolpersteine are financed exclusively through sponsorships. Each stone currently costs 120 euros.

The memorial office has short biographies of all the victims for whom a Stolperstein has been laid in Bonn. Interested parties are welcome to view these texts by appointment at gedenkstaettebonnde.

Many steps must be taken before a transfer can take place

The memorial and Nazi documentation center advises and informs interested parties and donors about the organizational process leading up to the laying of the Stolpersteine.
The memorial researches, compares and checks all available data on the people and their places of residence from various archives. The location of the laying is also checked and verified on the basis of registration and cadastral data.
We try to take donors' wishes for Stumbling Stones in certain neighborhoods into account. However, this is not always possible: Stolpersteine are laid at the last voluntarily chosen residential address or at the address where the people lived the longest, i.e. where they had their center of life. It can also happen that all possible Stolpersteine have already been laid in a neighborhood.
Where possible, Gunter Demnig lays Stolpersteine for all family members at the same time. The memorial therefore also suggests people for whose Stolpersteine donors are still being sought so that they can be completed for a family.
If possible, relatives who are still alive are asked whether they agree to Stolpersteine being laid for their relatives. If this is not desired by the family, this will be taken into account.
Stolperstein placements currently have a lead time of around twelve months, as Stolpersteine are now being laid in Europe and even beyond.
The production of the Stolpersteine takes time. The research must be completed around six months before the stone is laid so that the data can be forwarded to Gunter Demnig's employees in good time. Therefore, no more Stolpersteine can be scheduled for laying six months before the annual laying. The number of Stumbling Stones and individual locations for laying is also limited.
The memorial organizes the laying process in Bonn. In addition to looking after the donors, it also coordinates the laying of the stones with the Civil Engineering Department of the City of Bonn, which has actively supported the laying of the stones for many years. As a rule, the relocations are accompanied and managed by 1-2 employees of the memorial.
The employees support the artist Gunter Demnig during the laying of the Stolpersteine so that they are laid in the order of the degree of kinship (e.g. parents, children); if necessary, we also help with the laying. In the absence of Mr. Demnig, the employees lay the stumbling blocks themselves with the civil engineering office.

The Stumbling Stones laid and the laying itself will be documented photographically. Photos and short biographies will be forwarded to:

Archive of the "Foundation Traces" by Gunter Demnig
Online map of the City of Bonn on Bonn Stumbling Stones (see below)

Sponsorship & Donations

Stumbling stones will also be laid in Bonn in the future. You are welcome to take part in these activities. Support the laying of the stones by sponsoring a stone. The Bonn Memorial will support you as a coordinating body.

The Förderverein der Gedenkstätte und NS-Dokumentationszentrum manages the donations, which are transferred without deduction to the Gunter Demnig Foundation after the stones have been laid. The cost of a Stolperstein is currently (2024) 120 euros per stone.

Donation account keyword "Stolpersteine Bonn"
Sparkasse KölnBonn
Account holder: Friends of the memorial and
NS-Documentation Center Bonn e.V.
IBAN: DE 93 3705 0198 0000 0304 60
BIC: COLSDE33XX

Note (please specify) "Stolpersteinspende & Name of the donor".

Brochure "Stumbling Stones in Bonn"

The free brochure with lots of information about the stones laid in September 2024 is available from the NS Documentation Center Bonn at Franziskanerstraße 9.

Map of the Stumbling Stones in Bonn

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