June 10, 2026. Cologne. A city that remembers bombings and ruins, but never forgets the names. On this day and the next, June 11, 65 new bronze stones appeared on the cobblestones of Cologne. Stumbling blocks. The 3000th stone in the city's history. The ceremony, lasting two days, became more than a formality, an act of civic courage and family memory.

What are the stumbling blocks

Stumbling blocks (Stolpersteine) are bronze tiles measuring 10 by 10 centimeters, embedded in the sidewalks in front of houses where victims of Nazism once lived. The initiator of the project is the German artist Gunter Demnig. Since 1992, he has personally installed more than 100,000 stones across Europe. Each stone is engraved with a name, date of birth, date of deportation, and place of death. The idea: you walk down the street, bend down (stumbling), and read. You remember. You don't let it be forgotten.

3000th stone in Cologne

June 11, 2026 was a double anniversary. The 3000th stone in Cologne was laid on Rubensstraße 25-27. It is dedicated to Hannah Gruenbaum. Hannah was Jewish, she was deported in 1942, and she died in a camp. Her relatives, who were found through archives, came to the ceremony from Israel and the United States. They cried as the stone was set into the sidewalk. Gunter Demnig, who is already over 80, personally attended and helped lay the tiles.

Two families on Fischelnher Straße

On June 10, a ceremony was held for the Neugarten family on Fischelnher Straße 58. Kurt Neugarten, his wife Gretta, and their two children. They were all killed in Auschwitz. The neighbors, who now live in this house, came out with flowers. They said: “We didn't know, but now we will remember”. On another street, Kalshoerer Weg 29, stones were installed for Otto Richter, who was executed for “preparation for high treason” in 1944. Otto was a communist. His 20-year-old granddaughter read a poem in German and Hebrew.

Father and daughter on Spichernstraße

In the morning of June 10, at 9:05, stones were laid for Josef Rosenbaum and his daughter Erna Martha Dahl on Spichernstraße 8 and 10. Josef was a merchant and a member of the Cologne Alpine Club. He was expelled from the club in 1935. Daughter Erna was married to an “Aryan”, but this did not save her. They were deported to Riga, where they died. The Alpine Club sent a delegation to apologize. They placed edelweiss on the stones.

Technique of installation and symbolism

Each stone is a handcrafted work. First, the blacksmith engraves the letters on bronze, then workers remove a piece of sidewalk tile, insert the stone into cement mortar. All this takes 15 minutes. Usually, at the ceremony, there are: the artist Demnig or his assistants, city representatives, students, neighbors, relatives (if found). The stone is placed exactly where the door threshold was. Symbolically: you step on it, but the main thing is to bend down. Memory requires effort.

Cologne and its stones: the history of the project

The first stone in Cologne was laid in 2003. Since then, the city has become one of the leaders in Germany in the number of Stolpersteine. This was facilitated by the Museum of Documentation of the Nazi Era (NS-DOK), which coordinates the search for victims and contacts with relatives. In 2026, the museum celebrated its 30th anniversary. Museum Director Werner Jung said at the ceremony: “Each stone is a person, not a number”.

Opponents of the stones

Not everyone in Cologne supports the project. Some homeowners refuse to embed stones in the sidewalk, considering it an “profanation”. There is also criticism: that the stones should not be on the floor where they are stepped on. Demnig counters: “We step on the past, but we should not trample on it”. In 2026, there were several protests, but the ceremonies went off without incidents.

Educational value

Students were present at many ceremonies. They were given brochures with biographies of the victims. Teachers then discussed this on history lessons. Stumbling blocks are not just memorials, they are “lessons on the street”. Every year in Cologne, student volunteers clean the stones of dirt and oxides. This is also a ritual.

June 10 and 11, 2026, Cologne added 65 names to its memorial list. Thousands of people walked past these stones without noticing. But those who stopped, bent down, read — those remembered. The ceremony of laying the stones is a promise. A promise not to forget. As long as there are stones, there is also a reminder: “Never again”.

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