Stolpersteine NRW

The "Stolpersteine NRW" application, developed by WDR, serves as an educational tool that brings the history of the victims of the Nazi regime to life. The app offers a comprehensive experience by integrating various media types such as texts, photographs, audio narratives, graphic stories, and augmented reality elements. These elements provide detailed and engaging insights into the lives of individuals who once resided in the streets and towns of North Rhine-Westphalia during the Nazi era.

Using Google Maps, the app helps users navigate to each Stolpersteine, while the Google Firebase service supports the app's augmented reality functionalities. This means that personal data may be transmitted to Google when these features are utilized. There are approximately 17,000 Stolpersteine distributed across more than 280 cities within North Rhine-Westphalia. Each Stolpersteine stands as a poignant memorial to a person who suffered under National Socialism.

This interactive journey allows users to explore where the victims last lived before they were forced to flee, commit suicide, or were deported. The app enriches its content with biographical texts, audio stories, artistic illustrations, historical photos, audio recordings, and videos. It also includes augmented reality content, which adds another layer of depth to the historical narrative.

In addition to these features, "Stolpersteine NRW" offers a map that displays all Stolperstein locations, suggestions for Stolperstein routes through North Rhine-Westphalian cities, and teaching materials developed in collaboration with "Planet Schule." The app also features interactive filters, enabling users to search and research through the extensive database of 17,000 data records.

The development of this app was made possible thanks to the contributions of experts from over 250 cities in North Rhine-Westphalia, whose invaluable research and knowledge were crucial to the project's success. Users are encouraged to provide feedback at stolpersteine@wdr.de.

For those interested in learning more about Stolpersteine, the FAQ section answers common questions such as what Stolpersteine are and why they exist. It explains that Stolpersteine are small brass plaques, measuring 10x10cm, embedded in sidewalks to honor victims of the Nazi regime, typically placed at the last known residence before deportation or flight. The FAQ also provides statistics on the number of Stolpersteine laid throughout Europe, with over 100,000 plaques placed since the project's inception in 1992, creating the largest decentralized memorial in the world.