Catalonia will install 113 additional Stolpersteine across 47 municipalities this year, commemorating victims of Nazi deportation. This initiative will bring the total number of these memorial plaques in Catalonia to 872, not including Barcelona city.

Albert Dalmau, the Minister of the Presidency, announced the plan on Sunday during the 81st anniversary commemoration of the liberation of the Mauthausen concentration camp in Austria. He stated that the new plaques would be placed throughout 2026.

Stolpersteine, German for 'stumbling stones', are 10x10x10 centimetre brass-plated concrete cubes. They are typically installed in public spaces, often in front of the last known residence or birthplace of Holocaust victims. If this information is unavailable, they are placed in central locations within the town.

Remembering the Past

Dalmau told ACN that this is a time to "make an effort of memory" because "fascism is spreading throughout Europe". He called for "unity" among all who "defend democracy, freedom, and the human condition". The Memorial Democràtic, a public institution dedicated to democratic memory, leads this initiative in Catalonia.

Currently, 759 Stolpersteine are distributed across 126 municipalities in Catalonia. The 113 new plaques will be placed in towns including Abrera, Albanyà, l'Albiol, Alcanar, Barberà del Vallès, Bordils, les Borges Blanques, Caldes d'Estrac, Castelldans, Celrà, Cercs, Cervià, l'Escala (which will receive the most with 10), Figuerola del Camp, les Franqueses del Vallès, la Garriga, Ginestar, Godall, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, Hostalets de Pierola, la Jonquera, Massalcoreig, Moià, Mont-roig del Camp, Palamós, Parets del Vallès, Pla de Sant Tirs, el Pont de Suert, Puig-reig, Reus, Sant Esteve Sesrovires, Sant Pere de Riudebitlles, Sant Ferriol, Sant Hilari Sacalm, Sant Jaume dels Domenys, Sant Llorenç d'Hortons, Sant Martí de Tous, Sarrià de Ter, Santpedor, Selva del Camp, Terrassa, Torelló, els Torms, Torregrossa, Tortosa, Vall de Boí, Vilaller, and Vilassar de Mar.

Jordi Font, director of the Memorial Democràtic, said that "the presence of Stolpersteine in public spaces creates an emotional link between past and present and turns memory into a collective exercise of democratic coexistence."

International Project

The Stolpersteine project was initiated by German artist Gunter Demnig, who installed the first plaques in Berlin in 1996 to remember Jewish residents deported from the Kreuzberg district. All plaques are handcrafted in Germany. Over 117,500 Stolpersteine are now distributed across 31 European countries.

In Catalonia, the Generalitat is responsible for placing these plaques in all localities except Barcelona, where the city council manages its own installations. Barcelona currently has around 100 Stolpersteine. The only collaborative installation between the Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat was a plaque honouring Lluís Companys, located in Plaça Sant Jaume.