U.S. Holocaust Museum, Washington D.C.

the u.s.h.m.m is a fasinating and disturbing history of nazi germany and the holocaust. to see the permanent exhibit you get a ticket at the information counter on the main floor. you are then given a "passport" which is a copy of a ID card and brief biography of a victim of the holocaust. then you take an elevator to the fourth floor to begin the tour of the museum. the fourth floor has videos and exhibits on the rise of nazism in germany. there are also exhibits on nazi race classification and antisemitism. the third floor is devoted to the "final solution" or the extermination of the jews in europe. the exhibits also touch on the fate of other targeted groups such as the mentially impared, homosexuals, gypysies, and jehovah's witnesses. the most disturbing exhibits are a box car that took victims to the concentration camps, and collections of personal effects that once belonged to victims of the holocaust. a must see site for students of 20th century history. i would not recomend this museum for young children. the admission is free but during peak tourist periods tickets to the permanent collection must be reserved in advance.
on june 9 th 2009 an elderly deranged white supremacist shot and killed a security guard at the main entrance to the museum. this insane act will probably increase security at the museum. in planning a visit to the holocaust museum check their web site for security updates.

In his review, MindCrime wrote: "...Of course it’s devoted to the holocaust in Europe in case you think there was any US holocaust!"

Mind you, MindCrime, that the mass destruction of Native Americans was indeed genocide, a horrific holocaust of its own kind, and what about the enslavement of Africans and the discrimination against them in the US? They're both absolutely horrific events in history, together with the Jewish Holocaust in Europe.

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The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is the best museum of its kind by far. Of course it’s devoted to the holocaust in Europe in case you think there was any US holocaust! The ugly building(pic 1) isn’t attractive and the security people at the entrance (you have to go through screening, not even bottles of water allowed inside!) were super extra non friendly.

At the main floor (pic 2) you will get the museum plan and other info (no photos at permanent gallery) as well a passport which is actually a copy of an ID card with a small biography of a holocaust victim!

Then we went up to the upper floor where you can see exhibits (in chronological display), these are pictures, written info and videos about the rise of Nazis in Germany and how the anti-Semitism growth slowly in the society. At the end you will also pass through the section which is about what they called Final Solution which was of course the extermination of jews, gypsies and others like the disabled people!.

The whole experience is quite astonishing, some exhibits/pictures are disturbing so maybe very young children shouldn’t be here. The museum is open daily 10.00-17.20 with free entrance. I’ve heard that during high season there is time ticketing but in late September we just walked in like in any other museum.

At the end you can visit the Hall Of Remembrance(pic 4), you can take photos there but without flash.

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I never heard of the US Holocaust, so I was a bit confused about this museum that memorializes the US Holocaust. Turns out this museum in the US is about the German holocaust. Does Germany have a museum dedicated to American slavery? Maybe they could call it the German Slavery Museum. Have you ever visited the US Slavery Museum or the American Indian Atrocities Museum on the National Mall in DC? Funny how we focus so much attention on other nations' tragic histories while ignoring our own.

Anyway, this great museum is located along the National Mall near the Washington Monument and the Tidal Basin. It opened in 1993, and I visited about a year later.

The museum's main feature is the Permanent Exhibition that has chronological displays of the history of the holocaust in Europe under Nazi Germany. This area also includes the "Tower of Faces," which shows daily life in a Lithuanian town before the residents were executed. The last big element of the museum is the memorial Hall of Rememberance

This memorial to Man's Inhumanity to Man is a tribute to remembering the tragic persecution of the European Jews by Adolf Hitler and Nazi Germany, sadly there are lots of Holocaust Deniers like The President of Iran but also one must remember that what the Jews are doing to the Palestinians now are like what the Nazis are doing to them before. Again Sadly, one can believe in the saying that "the slaves of today are the oppressors of tomorrow".

Open: Every day, except Yom Kippur and Christmas
Hours: 10 AM to 5:30 PM.
Admission: Free

Let's be real: the Nazi Holocaust was a pretty unforgettable and fascinating phenomenon, albeit depressing and regrettable. It's an important part of our world's history, and since the permanent collection at the Holocaust museum is free to view, you really have nothing to lose. It may seem a little dark and dreary, but I think it's a great place to take the kids, and I hope to take my children here someday. Plus the museum shop really does have some nice gifts, including some handmade items imported from Jerusalem and books printed in Hebrew. They have some interesting traveling exhibitions from time to time as well.

BEWARE: If you're a hardcore WWII/Nazi/Holocaust history buff, you might find some of the info presented at the museum to be a bit misleading. It's not that it's necessarily inaccurate, but the business of politics has prevented it from being as in-your-face accurate as it could be. Don't let this stop you from visiting, though...it's a worthwhile experience.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum has numerous exhibits, focused around the main permanent exhibit entitled "The Holocaust." This exhibit spans 3 floors of the museum and focuses on the Nazi's atrocities during world war two. The main exhibit is self guided and take several hours. This is the best exhibit of it's kind I have seen, but be warned, the images can be graphic and the exhibit is not recommended for children under 11 years old.

The Museum also has several other exhibits including Daniel's Story, which is how children experienced the holocaust. There are also special exhibitions that are at the museum for a limited time.

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This is not a fun museum, but a very educational one, focusing on the Holocaust during WW II. The design is very stark, highlighting the horrible experiences had in German concentration camps. Free timed tickets can be obtained in the morning, giving you a specific time to start the tour. There are still some survivors who make themselves available to talk about their personal ordeals. Information is presented about the millions of Jews, Gypsies, Jehovah's Witnesses and others who were mistreated in these camps.

Yesterday I visited the US Holocaust Memorial Museum. It's my second time there, but probably it will not be my last. It is such a comprehensive museum that I am always learning something new there. Museums are typically educational anyways, but I think this one is especially good. It starts with the rise of Hitler and takes you through the atrocities carried out by the Nazis, all the way to the liberation of the prisoners. Artifacts, photos, and audio help you to understand better what it was like during this period. Various thoughts and recollections by survivors of the holocaust are also on display and add emotion to your experience.

The quality of the museum can be attested by its popularity. It's one of the few museums in DC for which you have to get a timed entry ticket for. On weekends, you may expect a line outside to get through security, though it will go pretty fast. You can get same day tickets for free at the museum, or you can get them on-line for a small fee ($3). Expect to spend 2-3 hours there.

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Most museums, monuments, and exhibits on the Mall commemorate humanity's achievements. The US Holocaust Museum is a reminder of how cruel and inhumane people can be. Even after over 60 years, it's hard to believe that people are capable of carrying out such atrocities. And, as the museum tells us, such things have occurred since then--in such places as the Balkans, the Middle East, Darfur, and Southeast Asia, to name a few places.

Visitors are issued an identity card, which has the history of a real individual who was in the infarmous concentration camps. The entire sordid story of the Holocaust unfolds before you as you tour the Permanent Exhibition. No photos are allowed in here (it's too dark and crowded to get any good ones, anyway).

In addition, the Wexner Learning Center is a valuable resource for historical research. The Children's Tile Wall has tiles painted by local school children. There are side exhibits, such as one about a Jewish boy named Daniel who survived the Holocaust while most of his family perished.

The resistance to the Holocaust is also described. This includes the heroic deeds of Allied spies, Jewish partisan fighters, and those who helped some Jews to escape from the Nazis. One was Swedish diplomat Raoul Wallenberg, who used his influence and know-how to smuggle thousands of refugees out of Nazi-held Europe.