Holocaust Memorial, Berlin

Holocaust Memorial, Berlin
Name	Holocaust Memorial
Native name	Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas
Caption	The Field of Stelae
Location	Berlin, Germany
Designer	Peter Eisenman
Type	Memorial
Material	Concrete
Begin	April 1999
Complete	December 2004
Dedicated	10 May 2005

Holocaust Memorial, Berlin. Officially named the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, this monument in the heart of Berlin serves as Germany's central Holocaust memorial. Conceived through a lengthy public debate and designed by architect Peter Eisenman, it consists of a vast, abstract Field of Stelae and a subterranean Information Centre. The memorial was inaugurated on 10 May 2005, near the Brandenburg Gate and the site of the former Führerbunker.

History and conception

The initial call for a national memorial dedicated to Jewish victims of Nazism came from journalist Lea Rosh and historian Eberhard Jäckel in the late 1980s. After German reunification, the project gained political momentum, with the Bundestag passing a resolution in 1999 to erect the memorial. The decision followed years of intense public discourse, famously chronicled in Micha Brumlik's writings and involving figures like Ignatz Bubis, then head of the Central Council of Jews in Germany. The location, a former death strip near the Berlin Wall, was chosen for its symbolic weight within the historic government quarter of Berlin-Mitte.

Design and architecture

American architect Peter Eisenman won the international design competition with his abstract concept. The design was developed in collaboration with engineer Buro Happold and initially included a proposal by sculptor Richard Serra, who later withdrew. The memorial deliberately avoids figurative or traditional monumental forms, instead creating an unsettling, wave-like field of concrete blocks. The construction utilized specially formulated concrete with a anti-graffiti coating, supplied by the firm Degussa, a subsidiary of the IG Farben conglomerate historically linked to the Holocaust, which later sparked significant controversy.

The Field of Stelae

The above-ground component comprises 2,711 rectangular concrete stelae arranged in a grid pattern across a 4.7-acre site sloping in undulations. The stelae vary in height from a few inches to over 15 feet, creating a disorienting, maze-like environment. The pathways between them are narrow, intentionally evoking feelings of isolation and loss. The field is open on all sides, accessible from streets like Ebertstraße and Hannah-Arendt-Straße, allowing for constant, unmediated interaction. The ground is paved with smaller, cobble-like stones, contrasting with the imposing grey blocks.

The Information Centre

Beneath the southeastern corner of the field lies the Information Centre, designed by Dagmar von Wilcken. Its exhibition, "Place of Information," presents the historical context and individual fates of victims through four thematic rooms. It features readings of victim names from the Yad Vashem database, personal letters like those from Anne Frank, and focuses on specific families and ghettos such as the Łódź Ghetto. The centre also documents various extermination camps, including Auschwitz-Birkenau and Treblinka, providing a concrete historical anchor to the abstract memorial above.

Reception and controversies

The memorial has been the subject of continuous debate since its inception. Critics like Marcel Reich-Ranicki and Claude Lanzmann questioned its abstract nature and scale. A major controversy erupted when it was revealed that the protective coating was supplied by Degussa, linked to IG Farben which produced Zyklon B. Other controversies involved its maintenance, with some visitors treating the stelae disrespectfully, and debates over extending remembrance to other victim groups like the Romani people or homosexuals under the Nuremberg Laws. Supporters, including former Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl, argued it represented a crucial national act of remembrance.

Administration and visitor information

The memorial is managed by the independent federal foundation "Foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe," which also oversees the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecuted under Nazism and the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism. Located near Potsdamer Platz and the Reichstag building, it is easily accessible via Berlin S-Bahn and U-Bahn stations like Brandenburger Tor. The Field of Stelae is open 24 hours a day, while the Information Centre has specific visiting hours, offering guided tours and educational programs often coordinated with institutions like the Topography of Terror.

Category:Holocaust memorials in Germany Category:Buildings and structures in Berlin Category:2005 establishments in Germany