Touring the Berlin holocaust memorial is an awe inspiring event and makes one think of one of the worst ever moments in mankind history. Also known as the Holocaust Memorial, this structure is established in the middle of the capital city of Germany. This work is most importantly a memorial to the many millions of innocent people who were killed during Holocaust. More so in this article, we will seek to understand the relevance of this memorial and the historical background about the whole issue.
The Historical Context
To give an informed analysis of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial, an understanding of the background of the development of the site is essential. Holocaust means process of an organized campaign of extermination of about six million Jews by the Nazi authorities between 1941 and 1945. This is when people suffered and died on a scale that many couldn’t comprehend thus giving humanity one of it’s darkest eras.
The uneasy process of dealing with the past became one of the major tasks of Germany in the post WWII years. The country realized that it had to establish a memorial where people would remember the country’s participation in the Holocaust, as well as million of killed lives. This caused the idea of building the Berlin Holocaust Memorial to avert the nation’s attempt of trying to bury the past.
The Design and Symbolism
The Berlin Holocaust memorial was sculpted by architect Peter Eisenman and constructed by engineer Buro Happold. The entire area of this memorial is approximately 19,000 meters and it consists of 2,711 concrete blocks arranged in a rectangular grid; they differ in height. Due to the contortion of the tide of macadamized slabs that reception area forms, as the visitor moves across the wide field of the foyer, the ground sways.
The shape of the site can be freely tackled because the strategy of the memorial’s creation is to help people think about the holocaust themselves. The nature of the ground as irregular and the series of corridors represent the chaos that the victims underwent during that period. The huge pillars of concrete made to represent the scale and number of people killed-the pillars symbolizing each person.
The Information Center
Almost side by side with the memorial complex is another important building – the Information Centre. Here, audiences can learn more about the Holocaust history through greater use of exhibits, photographs,_unique perspectives_. The center is full of information on victims of holocaust and the concentration camps as well as history of holocaust.
In the Information Centre people are invited to think about certain exhibits that reflect the real life of individuals during the Holocaust. In order to achieve such goals, the exhibits are designed to allow the visitors to sympathize with the victims of terrorism.
The Past and an Outlook to the Future
The main goals of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial are already embedded in these two concepts: It must force people to pay attention to it, and it must make them accept what happened. The following part only symbolizes the perpetual memory of such cruel history should be passed on through generations and people should strive to create a world with no discriminations and prejudices.
Through the means of visiting the memorial you have a chance to have a meaningful interaction with the history. For it makes urge to think about the results of hatred and discriminative approach, about one’s silence. One Berlin Holocaust Memorial is different from others since it implies the action, provoking people to struggle with prejudice in daily life.
How to Survive the Berlin Holocaust Memorial
Before visiting the memorial, here are a few tips to enhance your experience:
This means that you should plan how you intend to go about this before you actually visit the site. Due to the august of the memorial one is likely to find many people around that place and hence advise one to make sure he or she arrives early in the morning or during late hour.
Guests of the museum should respect the serious mood. He stressed that memorial is a place dedicated to those who perished and one should not behave indecent when being there.
Take your time to explore. There are many slabs in the monastery and the area is vast therefore, it will take some time to move across the field of the slabs and to visit the Information center.
You may prefer to join a guided tour if you get easily lost or prefer having someone else make decisions for the day. Some information can be received during the visitor’s guided tour, it will help to enrich the knowledge about the memorial’s meaning.
It’s recommended that you make a prior arrangement on when to visit. The memorial complex might get quite crowded, so it will be a good idea to get there early or just avoid peak hours.
Please, do not desecrate the sanctity of the facility. There is a standard expected of visitors, especially when in a mourning area: be courteous when visiting the memorial.
Take your time to explore. Since the monument is huge you will require ample time to walk through the plain slabs and visit the Information Center.
It can be beneficial to become a member of a guided tour. Pre-arranged guided tours are also available and can tremendously help to enrich those who want to learn and understand the importance of this memorial much more.
Day tripping and exploring through the Berlin Holocaust Memorial should not just be seen as a nice thing to do; it is a visit with purpose and reflection. The monument is indeed a strong marker of the Holocaust and the recurrent injustices that in this case needed to be stopped and individuals should willingly work toward changing.
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