What are the Brass Plaques on German Sidewalks?

When we just moved to Berlin, walking around we would notice these Brass Plaques in between the cobblestones on the sidewalks. They are called STOLPERSTEINES or “stumbling stones” in English.

Scattered throughout Europe, planted in city streets and sidewalks, commemorative brass plaques eternalize the lives that were lost in the Holocaust. Called the Stolpersteine (in English: “stumbling stones”), the plaques commemorate the victims of the Nazi regime in more than 1,100 locations in 17 European countries. – Germany Info

It’s so that the names of those tragically lost lives are never forgotten. This project was initiated by Gunter Demnig, a German artist who aims to bring back the names of millions of Jews, gays, Gypsies, and other persecuted victims that were killed by the Nazis or driven to commit suicide.

They aren’t limited to Germany alone. Just imagine, there are more than 45,000 of these STOLPERSTEINE across Europe, with more than 5,000 in Berlin. Each one commemorates a Holocaust victim at their last known address with the victim’s name, date of birth, deportation date and (if known) death date. This makes it the largest Holocaust memorial in the world.