Berlin’s Minimalist Holocaust Memorial

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Germany
Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany

In Berlin, Germany, fragments of the city’s torrid past can be uncovered at nearly every turn.  From the fact-laden Topography of Terror to the worldly East Side Gallery, Berlin has struggled to integrate its history in a variety of ways.  The Holocaust Memorial, therefore, is certainly unique in its abstraction.  There are no massive plaques detailing the horrors of the Nazi genocide against the Jews, Roma, and LGTB+ peoples living in the Reich.  There are no statues commemorating those who bravely fought against the terror.  In other words, this is not a typical memorial – but in my opinion, I think find that this only makes the memorial more powerful.

Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany

The Holocaust Memorial is quite large, as it features over 2,500 concrete slabs of varying height.  Visitors are supposed to feel disoriented, dwarfed, even claustrophobic as they make their way through the city of concrete.  Are the slabs supposed to represent the unfeeling Germans who either turned in their Jewish neighbors to the authorities or watched silently as friends and community members were taken to concentration camps?  Is the methodical arrangement of the memorial intended to remind visitors of the loneliness and severity of the camps?

Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, GermanyHolocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany

I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that the slabs are shaped like gravestones, even though there are no numerical correlations to speak of (for example, there is not 1 slab per 1000 victims).  Using concrete to create a memorial was risky – the end result could easily have been something emotionless and unfeeling – but I felt like the victims were somehow both anonymous and personal.  Once I’d managed to make my way towards the center, cornered by slabs that were at least ten feet tall, I felt surrounded by the relentless suffering of the victims of the Holocaust.  And, I believe, therein lies this memorial’s success: it demands that visitors confront the horrors of Germany under Nazi rule.  Six million people were murdered during Hitler’s genocidal reign, and that number feels quite visceral at this memorial.

Holocaust Memorial, Berlin, GermanyHolocaust Memorial, Berlin, Germany

There is a subterranean visitor’s center that offers more-traditional museum exhibits for those who want to delve deeper into Holocaust history, but I believe that the Holocaust Memorial, which successfully integrates art into an important historical narrative, stands sufficiently on its own.

Side note: Somber sights such as Berlin’s Holocaust Memorial are designed to be a place of reflection, education, and remembrance.  I’m sad to report that when I visited, many children and adults alike were using the memorial as a playground of sorts.  I saw people sitting on top of the concrete slabs to take selfies and one group of schoolchildren pose for “action shots” in between the slabs while their teachers took photos.  Others were playing tag or running around, more generally causing disruption.  Even though such behavior should automatically be considered inappropriate, there are signs explicitly forbidding running, jumping, and climbing the slabs.

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