 | Berlin Holocaust Memorial (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas) Reviews | Tips 1 - 10 of 48 |  |
 | |  |  | Holocaust Memorial (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas): Perfect Reflection of this sombre Part of History | Tip Rating:    |  |  | |  |
There was a lot of controversy about this memorial for Europe’s murdered Jews, located just some steps from Brandenburger Tor, towards Potsdamer Platz, at the corner of Ebert- and Behrenstraße, and opened on 10 May 2005. Some people were just sick of getting another such memorial, as there are plenty in Germany, others thought it is the ugliest memorial they have ever seen, and again others were against such a huge area being occupied by a monument. So I was rather interested to see it with my own eyes and make up my opinion. Well, I was rather impressed. I think those 2711 rectangular grey concrete columns of different heights, lined up on a slightly wave-shaped area of 19,000 square metres, reflect perfectly the sombre feeling that lies over this part of history. You can access the paths between the columns from any point around the site, and wherever you are, it always looks different. While you walk along the tracks and lose the feeling of where exactly you are, your thoughts go back to the past. Looking over the columns from the outside you see the tree-lined horizon, and some attractive buildings of Berlin. The other world, the better world that was so close and even visible but yet out of reach for the Jews in the Third Reich. In that sense the monument is a fabulous place to reflect this tragedy, with its monotony and sadness. One thing, I think, the American artist and architect Peter Eisenmann had not planned is that some steles would sink and start leaning. There is a subterranean documentation centre – called Ort der Information (information site) at the side of Cora-Berliner-Straße. We did not visit because it opened at 10am and we were there earlier, and apart from that we have visited enough such documentation centres and concentration camps to be well informed. Documentation centre open Tue – Sun 10am – 8pm (April – September), and from October to March from 10am to 7pm, entry free. Guided tours (3 Euro) Sat 11am and 2pm, Sun 11am, 2pm and 4pm. Phone: (030) 26 39 43 36Directions: Next to Brandenburger Tor, vorner Ebertstraße/Wilhelmstraße U-Bahn U 55, Brandenburger Tor S-Bahn, Unter den LindenWebsite: http://www.holocaust-mahnmal.de
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| | | | Holocaust Memorial (Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas): A sombre memorial, with a sharp edge (literally!) | Tip Rating: | | | | |
We stopped by the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, but the information center was closed. The last entrants are allowed into the info. center at 19:15. However, there were pamphlets available, and the Stelae are always open. Entrance is always free. Walking around inside the Memorial is pretty cool. The Stelae go far above your head (the tallest are more than four meters high) and then they shrink down to your ankles at some points. The result has been controversial for a while, but what's not controversial these days? I appreciate the aesthetic, and I found walking through the stelae calming. However, I think some written plaque at each corner (I didn't see one) or some other acknowledgement of the meaning behind the memorial might serve it well. There were children jumping on top of some of the stelae, and some were even jumping from one to another. From what I heard from other visitors to the memorial, people have also used it for sunbathing. Now, I'm not big on forced meditation or anything, but something just seems wrong about that. Anyway, I liked it. It reminded me a little of the Vietnam Memorial, which I like very much. One concern (especially coming from the hyper-safety-litigious US) is that with kids running around down there, someone is going to crack a skull or two. I'd also refuse to go walk around after dark or alone. Maybe I'm overly paranoid, but if I were someone up to no good, that's where I'd hang out. Leave a Comment Phone: 49 030 740 72929Directions: S-Bahn to Unter den Linden and Potsdamer Platz U-Bahn to Potzdamer Platz (U2)Website: http://www.stiftung-denkmal.de/
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