Stumbling Stones: what they are and who invented them

Pietre d'Inciampo cosa sono

Have you ever stopped to reflect on what the cities we walk in every day tell us? Among the cobblestones you walk on could be hiding a powerful story, that of the Stumbling Stones. How much do you really know, however, about this project, created to remember the victims of the Shoah and now widespread throughout Europe?

In this post I want to tell you about these small, silent works of art that seem to blend in with the asphalt, but carry an enormous symbolic charge. We will talk about what the Stumbling Stones are, who designed them and what deep meaning lies behind them. Ready to stumble – at least with your mind?

WHAT ARE THE STUMBLING STONES

Pietre d'Inciampo

The Stumbling Stones, in German Stolpersteine, are a project of widespread remembrance conceived by Berlin-based artist Gunter Demnig in 1990. They are small stone blocks, covered with a shiny brass plate, placed on pavements in front of the houses from which the victims of Nazi deportation were taken.
Each stone bears the name, date of birth, place and date of deportation and, often, the date of death.

The idea came about when Demnig got into an argument with a woman from Cologne who denied the deportation of more than a thousand Sinti from the city. That denial prompted him to create a work that would bring to light what many would like to forget. Since then, the Stones of Stumbling have spread to 26 European countries, with over 80,000 installations.

A work of art that forces us to remember

It is no coincidence that these stones are located right in front of the victims’ homes.
The aim is clear: every passer-by who comes across them is forced to stop, if only for a moment, and reflect. One does not only stumble physically, but also mentally.
The daily step is transformed into memory, the walk into awareness.

On the official website dedicated to the stumbling stones the project is described in detail and you will also find a map to find out where to find them.

Demnig himself explained that the choice of placing the stones at street level symbolises an invitation to bend down, almost as if to pick up those fragments of broken lives.
However, the question is: in such a distracted world, do they really capture the attention they deserve?

Stumbling Stones in Italy: still a new commitment

In Italy, the project arrived in 2010, starting in Rome. Since then, over 2,378 stones have been installed in 290 municipalities, but there is still a long way to go. In many cities, the installations often remain little known, almost invisible to those who do not know what to look for.

In Siena, for example, the first Stones of Inciampo were laid in 2015, in memory of Rav Augusto Hasdà and his wife Ermelinda Segre, who were arrested and deported to Auschwitz in 1943.
In January 2025, seven more stones were added in different streets of the city, bringing to light more stories of broken lives.

Memory or mere street furniture?

The Stones of Stumbling are an extraordinarily valuable project, but how well do they really achieve their purpose? How many people stop to read them, to reflect?
The risk is that they become a mere decorative element, invisible in the daily rush.

Perhaps, the problem is not only in the stones, but in us.
Are we still able to pause, to let ourselves be touched by such a powerful symbol? Or do we need someone to continually explain to us what we should already know?

Pietre d'Inciampo Siena

Pietre d’Inciampo a Siena

The Stones of Stumbling offer us a lesson in humility and remembrance, but they require an effort on our part: that of lowering our gaze to the ground to remember those who have been snatched from life and the future.
Each stone is an invitation not to forget, but also a warning: collective memory cannot survive without the individual will to keep it alive.

And you, the next time you walk through a city, will you stop in front of a Stumbling Stone?

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