The first Stumbling Stones – Stolpersteine were created by Berlin artist Gunter Demnig in 1995 and were placed in the streets of Cologne and Berlin.
Brussels followed seven years later. The stones tell passers-by and soon visitors to the museum about the drama of deportation and collaboration in the heart of Brussels.
As part of the work to redesign the museum project and the desire to put the people of Brussels at the heart of its new itinerary, the City Museum contacted the Association for the Memory of the Shoah. It is imperative for a city history museum to exhibit pieces related to the darkest hours of its history. On the one hand, to raise awareness of the duty of remembrance and on the other hand, to participate in the essential fight against the rise of xenophobic and racist movements.
Deeply touched, the Association for the Memory of the Shoah offered to donate two Stumbling Stones-Stolpersteine in addition to the one that the museum acquired. Informed of the approach, the artist Gunter Demnig also wanted to donate two and deposit the five, in person, at the museum. This is a first!
Demnig, G, Stumbling stones-Stolpersteine, 2024 © M.Labey