Inside the Information Center.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews in Berlin, designed by architect Peter Eisenman is made up of about 2,700 gray rectangular blocks that are short at the edges of the memorial but increase in height as a person walks toward its center. The entire site encompasses about 19,000 square meters (roughly the size of a small city block) and is accessible through narrow walkways. In addition, the memorial includes an underground information center with exhibition designed by Dagmar von Wilcken, which repeats the rectangular shapes seen above ground within ceilings, floors, and displays.
The idea for the memorial originated from non-Jewish Germans, starting out as a grass roots initiative by citizens collecting signatures in support of the project. Eventually politicians got on board and after much discussion, a site in the center of Berlin was found and the government decided to fund the project. In 2003, five years after inception, construction on the project began, and in 2005, the memorial opened.
Unlike the information center, where visitors can obtain facts about the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews during the Nazi era, the memorial upstairs, which contains no writing or inscriptions, has remained controversial. An important aspect of Eisenman's design is its purposeful lack of overt symbolism, which has been criticized by some. There is no obvious title, there are no names displayed, and there are no inscriptions on the blocks. Moreover, the architect never explained why he chose the design he did, nor did he comment on any particular reactions it might elicit as a response.
As a result, visitors come up and walk away with manifold interpretations of their own. Some have said they feel lost and sad inside; but due to the memorial’s grid pattern, others literally see a light at the end of the walkway or “tunnel.” From an aerial view, the blocks form a wave, which is a result of the difference in height between the different stelae. Some also say the blocks seen from above resemble an aerial view of Auschwitz. Walking further into the memorial, some may experience calm; others say it reminds them of walking through a graveyard.
The idea for the memorial originated from non-Jewish Germans, starting out as a grass roots initiative by citizens collecting signatures in support of the project. Eventually politicians got on board and after much discussion, a site in the center of Berlin was found and the government decided to fund the project. In 2003, five years after inception, construction on the project began, and in 2005, the memorial opened.
Unlike the information center, where visitors can obtain facts about the Holocaust and the persecution of Jews during the Nazi era, the memorial upstairs, which contains no writing or inscriptions, has remained controversial. An important aspect of Eisenman's design is its purposeful lack of overt symbolism, which has been criticized by some. There is no obvious title, there are no names displayed, and there are no inscriptions on the blocks. Moreover, the architect never explained why he chose the design he did, nor did he comment on any particular reactions it might elicit as a response.
As a result, visitors come up and walk away with manifold interpretations of their own. Some have said they feel lost and sad inside; but due to the memorial’s grid pattern, others literally see a light at the end of the walkway or “tunnel.” From an aerial view, the blocks form a wave, which is a result of the difference in height between the different stelae. Some also say the blocks seen from above resemble an aerial view of Auschwitz. Walking further into the memorial, some may experience calm; others say it reminds them of walking through a graveyard.
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