Holocaust Memorial – Berlin, Germany
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, also known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a memorial in Berlin to the Jewish victims of the holocaust. It is an entire city block covered, seemingly haphazardly, in huge concrete blocks designed by architect Peter Eisenman.
The site looks like a undulating topography composed by 2,711 concrete slabs that abstractly represent a conglomerate of tombs for the 6 million murdered Jews.
The stones, or stelae, are 2.38m (7.8′) long, 0.95m (3′ 1.5″) wide and vary in height from 0.2 m to 4.8m (8″ to 15’9″).
Even on bright sunny days, the stones look sober and drab. They feel visually and physically cold. On the other hand, the uneasy and confusing atmosphere makes you want to explore the inner spaces of the memorial even more. Walk between the stones, jump above them, run and hide, get lost; this memorial is meant to be experienced, rather than seen. Once you get inside the sea of stones, you are swallowed up by concrete, only left to find your bearings in the open sky. The uneven ground and lack of vision between the stones offers some small idea of the Jewish experience during WWII: disoriented, your past snatched away, and your future insecure.
I think this is a powerful memorial steers away from the typical memorial. Its lack of traditional symbols gives you the freedom to interpret and bring meaning to it as you feel the space.
Underground, there is a visitor center that gives you a great deal of information and visual history about the Jews and their tragic fate.
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It certainly looks like a powerful memorial! We somehow managed to miss this when we visited Berlin. I would have liked to have experienced it.
Julia
Julia, I recommend you visit it whenever you have the chance to go back to Berlin. Powerful experience.
“This memorial is meant to be experienced, rather than seen”.. totally understand the feeling – when I visited the Holocaust museum (and memorial) in Washington DC. A touching experience.
Yes, when you’re dealing with such a strong and emotional history, great memorials like these are the ones that let us relive and understand what happened, and they touch us the most.
These are some amazing black & white shots from the memorial Nobert!
Thanks Sarah! I recommend you visit it when you have the chance to go to Berlin.
Thanks for this. Sorry I didn’t even know about this memorial, but can imagine its intense power.
You’re welcome John. This memorial is relatively new, and yes, it is powerful, somber, and inspiring at the same time.
That looks extremely powerful and moving. I am always amazed at the emotion that a well done memorial can evoke.
So true. I think a memorial open to interpretation is more powerful than an extremely symbolic one.
That last photo ROCKS!
Thanks Lindsay!
Oh wow these photos are amazing. Very sad that is a memorial for an unfortunate event. I am glad the artist was able to convey the message in a very artist and nice way. This is on my must visit list for when I get to Berlin!
Thanks Jaime! It is a memorial for an unfortunate even indeed, but it is such a great place to visit while in Berlin. Make sure not to miss it!