Walking between the concrete slabs of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, whose full title is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, can be a harrowing experience, but many people come away with a feeling of piece once they have observed the full memorial. The Holocaust Memorial includes over 3,000 concrete slabs, which are referred to as the Field of Stelae. These stretch out across two hectares and symbolise the loss of life at internment camps in Nazi Germany.
The Holocaust Memorial is an important monument to one of modern history’s most grisly and unforgiveable episodes. The site of the memorial has been created in such a way as to have a very different atmosphere to the majority of the city. While Berlin is a hustling and bustling modern metropolis, the Holocaust Memorial has rightly been set up to have a quiet, serene, still atmosphere which rightly creates a mood of sombre reflection in all those who visit it. The centre of the exhibit is particularly peaceful and striking, with stelae reaching so high into the sky that all of the noise of the surrounding traffic is blocked out.
This memorial is a recent addition to Berlin, having been opened in 2005, with the design of the monument determined by a contest. The memorial itself doesn’t contain a plaque, which is an intriguing, deliberate decision by the designer. Peter Eisenman, who designed the exhibit, apparently intended for those that view it to make up their own mind on what the various elements of it represent, to have their own organic reaction to it. This makes the Berlin Holocaust Memorial a literally unique experience for everyone that visits it.
The Holocaust Memorial also contains an information centre, where visitors can obtain more information about the Holocaust. Every Jew murdered in the atrocity is listed somewhere within this centre.
Entry to this monument is free, but donations are welcome. The Berlin Holocaust Monument is open 24 hours a day. Guided and audio tours are available for a small fee. The memorial is a short walk from Potsdamer Platz and Brandenburg U-Bahn stations.
