If you are looking for a place to start learning more about the history of and importance of the Holocaust then the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, Germany is not one you want to miss. This striking memorial is a poignant reminder to how awful atrocities of the Holocaust were and those who lost. But to see the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, we need to know why it was created and what it’s for.
Remembering the Holocaust has Significance.
It is first important to remember that before diving into the details of the memorial, remembering the Holocaust is important. Understanding, working to educate ourselves about this dark chapter in history helps us to never allow anymore acts of hatred and discrimination. The Holocaust Memorial is critical in its role in preserving memory of the enormous numbers of people who suffered and died.
The Holocaust Memorial: Design
Commissioned by the Federal Republic of Germany, the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe (officially: Holocaust Memorial), dedicated to all Jews murdered in the Nazi Holocaust, was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. The aim with its unique design is to generate emotions and trigger thoughts.
It occupies 4.7 acres in what is just west of the Brandenburg Gate at the heart of Berlin. The slabs, ranging from 7 1/2 inches to 16 inches high, are arranged in a grid pattern on 2,711 concrete bases. While you meander through the labyrinth formed from the slabs, it is disorienting and depressing, being a metaphor for something you and the victims in the Holocaust never knew what would happen next.
Honoring the Victims
The memorial of the Holocaust is unique for it’s ability to personalize the tragedy. It is neither dedicated to any leaders, or political figures, but primarily highlights individual experiences of victims.
Right next to the concrete slabs is an underground information center called the ‘Place of Information,’ which collects detailed reports of Jewish families who fell victim to the Holocaust. Museum humanizes the victims through personal stories, photographs and documents.
The Importance of Reflection
The Holocaust Memorial, one of the central purposes, is to provide a space to reflect. It helps visitors look and wrestle with the past and have conversation, and further understand the ways in which the Holocaust affected this world.
The memorial’s design is measured in proportion to keep it open ended so that individuals can decipher the abstract concrete slabs as a reflection of the history and what the memorial means to them. The slabs’ size and arrangement when you walk through the memorial makes it an overwhelming feeling, an isolation, a despair. It is a concise, beautiful essay on the size of loss and destruction caused by the Holocaust.
Visiting the Holocaust Memorial Museum
However, if you’ve ever decided to go see the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin, here are a few things that you should know. First of all, this place is a place of remembrance and respect. Taking pictures while it may be tempting, is also important to remember, the solemnity of the site. Stay away from loud conversations; and keep the atmosphere reverent.
Make time to fully explore the memorial well ahead of time. Take the time to read the names, the stories, the experiences that the ‘Place of Information’ share as you walk among the concrete slabs. With these personal narratives, you will be able to connect on a more personal level to the victims stories and trauma.
It’s also a good thing to know that the Holocaust Memorial is free to visit altogether. The facility is open to the public 24 hours a day 7 days a week, so vistors can pay their respects at any time of the day or night. Yet, it pays to think that maybe going on one of those quieter times might increase your experience — to be in a little more solitude and a little more reflection.
Conclusion
The Berlin Holocaust Memorial is a reminder of remembering, hoping, and residualing. Different from other memorials, it focusses on individual stories in a different design and it is a space for people to be able to be reflective and engaged with the past. Your visit to this monument helps continue the work of remembering the victims and seeing that, so long as there is something, the atrocities of the Holocaust will never be forgotten.
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