Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin

Memorial for the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin

At the heart of Berlin is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Holocaust Memorial of Germany remembering and honoring the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It has an information centre and a Field of Stelae with 2711 stelae (concrete slabs) of the same size buried at different depths in a grid of 19000 m2. It originated as a citizens' initiative facilitated by journalist Lea Rosh and historian Eberhard Jackel at the end of the 1980s, and was built to a design by Peter Eisenman in 2003 - 2005.

At the heart of Berlin is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, the Holocaust Memorial of Germany remembering and honoring the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust. It has an information centre and a Field of Stelae with 2711 stelae (concrete slabs) of the same size buried at different depths in a grid of 19000 m².

It originated as a citizens' initiative facilitated by journalist Lea Rosh and historian Eberhard Jackel at the end of the 1980s, and was built to a design by Peter Eisenman in 2003 - 2005. The Field of Stelae is a stark place of plain unmarked dark grey concrete, without any information blocks. It was deliberately designed that way to allow for the visitors' own interpretation of what the design represents as they walk through the grid, contemplating the persecution of Jews. Its location in the city centre, close to attractions such as the Brandenburg Tor, serves to remind visitors of the defining imprint of the Holocaust on the history of Berlin. However, the location is not without controversy as the wartime bunker of Nazi propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels is located under a part of the memorial.

The information centre has an exhibition designed by Dagmar von Wilcken about the persecution and extermination of the European Jews at different historical crime sites. It starts out with an overview of the Nazi policy and persecution from 1933-1945. The 'Room of Dimensions' showcases some personal, moving correspondence of the victims diary entries, last letters to loved ones and final notes before their impending murders. The 'Room of Families' shows the destruction and displacement of families that were torn apart and sent to different concentration camps during the time. The 'Room of Names' presents the victims' names and biographies. The 'Room of Sites' runs through the different crime sites and concentration camps in all of Europe through film and photo. The centre also holds a database with the names of all known Jewish Holocaust victims.