Holocaust Memorial

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  Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin.

• A school class has gathered in the middle of the steles of the Holocaust memorial in Berlin and has the memorial explained to them.

• Flowers lie on a stone at the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin.

• "Place of information" under the walk-in field of stelae of the Holocaust Memorial.

• View of the field of stelae from the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin-Mitte.

• Visitors to the Holocaust Memorial in Berlin walk between the steles while a tree blooms in the foreground.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is better known as the Holocaust Memorial by most Berliners. Opened in May 2005, the memorial in Berlin-Mitte is located near the Brandenburg Gate and is one of the city's most impressive sights.

The Holocaust Memorial consists of an undulating field of 2711 concrete steles, which can be passed through from all sides. While walking between the columns of different heights and the labyrinthine corridors, visitors may experience a brief moment of disorientation, which should open up space for discussion. Beneath the memorial is the Information Centre, which documents the crimes of the Nazi era in themed rooms.

In June 1999, the Bundestag decided to build the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - which is the official name of the memorial - in the immediate vicinity of the Brandenburg Gate. After two years of construction, the memorial was ceremoniously opened on May 10, 2005. On a field of about 19,000 square meters, 2711 steles were installed - just as the design by the New York architect Peter Eisenman envisaged. The memorial is the central Holocaust memorial in Germany.

Planning of the Holocaust Memorial

As early as the late 1980s, demands were made to build a memorial to European Jews. The discussion about the location, message and form of the memorial ultimately lasted almost a decade. In the spring of 1995, the Berlin Senate Administration announced a first artistic competition - 528 works were submitted. In 1997, a second competition was announced. The design by Peter Eisenman was accepted, but had to be changed several times over the course of time. In June 1999, the German Bundestag decided to build and add a "place of information" to the memorial.

Architecture of the Holocaust Memorial

The wave-shaped field consists of over 2700 steles on a total area of about 19,000 square meters. It can be entered from any side. The individual concrete steles differ from each other only in height and create an undulating pattern depending on their location. With its abstract form, the memorial is intended to stimulate reflection.

Information Center under the Holocaust Memorial

The "Place of Information" located under the field of steles features an exhibition documenting the persecution and extermination of the European Jews. In the foyer, the visitor first receives basic information on the historical context and then enters four thematic rooms in which the topic is dealt with from a historical and personal perspective. The field of steles and the "place of information" do not compete with each other, but complement each other and together form the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.

Information

• Address:
  Cora-Berliner-Straße 1
  10117 Berlin
  City map
• Phone: [phone]
• Opening Hours: Field of steles: always accessible ; Information Centre: Tuesday to Sunday from 10 am to 6 pm ; Closing days December 24 to 26, December 31 from 4 pm. Open on all other public holidays.
• Accessibility: Special passages for wheelchair users and people with walking disabilities are marked by the field of stelae. The information center can be reached by an elevator.
• Admission Fee:
  Free
• Tours: Free public guided tours of the Field of Stelae: every 1st Sunday of the month at 2 pm in English and every 3rd Sunday of the month at 2 pm in German; other offers on site
• Website: www.stiftung-denkmal.de/en/