The ceremony, presided over by the Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler, and Mayor Juan Jurado Bracero, served to recall the history of Josep Egea Trujillo, who survived Mauthausen and Gusen, and Manuel Vinaroz Maté, who was murdered in Gusen in 1941.
“"These Stolpersteine, these stumbling blocks, must serve to remember the people who were murdered by Nazism. But also so that the youngest understand that we cannot allow that to happen again."
Manuel Vinaroz's granddaughter, Júlia Vinaroz, offered an emotional testimony about her grandfather's exile and death, highlighting the silence that surrounded these events within the family. Espadaler praised her words, noting that such testimonies “shape democratic memory.”
Stolpersteine, created by German artist Gunter Demnig in 1996, are brass cobblestones placed in front of the last place where the victim lived in freedom. With the two new pieces, Esparreguera now totals 9, and Catalonia reaches 720 stones across 114 municipalities.
“"Remembering the names and stories of the victims of Nazism is an act of justice and a commitment to democratic values."
This initiative is part of the local educational project Camins de Pau (Paths of Peace), aimed at raising awareness among youth about the history of the municipality's exiles and deportees and promoting the defense of human rights.
