Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial is dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust, designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. It consists of a 19,000 m2 site covered with 2,711 concrete slabs arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field. They are organized in rows, 54 of them going north-south, and 87 heading east-west at right angles but set slightly askew. An attached underground 'Place of Information' holds the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims, obtained from the Israeli museum Yad Vashem.

Building began on April 1, 2003 and was finished on December 15, 2004. It was inaugurated on May 10, 2005, sixty years after the end of World War II, and opened to the public two days later.

References:

Wikipedia

User Reviews

Adam Lucy (2 years ago)
It felt strange to give a star rating to something so poignant. The memorial is very thought provoking. The deeper you move into its centre, the higher the concrete blocks become, blocking out view and sound. Until you are surrounded by massive tomb stone structures, towering above your head. I experienced a deep period of introspection while at this monument. My mind attempted to comprehend the horrors perpetrated on the Jews and others and to experience in silence the strangely peaceful atmosphere of the monument itself. It was a profound experience and one I undertook with humble respect and a conscious appreciation of the significance of this memorial. Those that do not learn from history, are destined to repeat it.

Mark James (2 years ago)
Wasn't impressed. On ground level it's a load of different sized blocks of concrete. Underneath there's a very average history lesson with exhibits and video/sound. Definitely get the audio guide. I would have liked to have seen something beautiful and impressive. This is depressing concrete.

Helen (2 years ago)
You should visit here!! U can feel real experience of Jewish by writings and many documents. At a short time you can learn how the Third Reich of Deutschland had strong effects over all the European countries and how many people and nations are related to it. History is not to be forgotten and we should definitively know it exactly.

Wing Ying Chow (2 years ago)
It is hard to express how astounding it is to walk in this memorial and photos do not do justice. From afar, it looks like piles of coffins or bodies, but the feeling almost lessens as you walk up and walk in. Then the regular concrete blocks, first innocuous, creep over and become suddenly taller, and it becomes ominous, repressive, and dark. A place to reflect on how rights of a group of humans can be stripped away, step by step, and how it can easily happen again if we do not take the lessons of the past. The exhibition is very worthwhile for understanding both the overreaching historical setting as well as more personal entries and the damage to families.

Corissa George (2 years ago)
Absolutely phenomenal. A crazy mood altering experience. So well done. It has a massive impact on the mind & heart. Definitely have to experience it. As I left, I spotted a beautiful bright red lady bug (featured in the picture attached) in a crack that brought peace to my heart & mind. Emotional roller coaster!

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Ana Paula Hirama

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