Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Holocaust memorial in Mitte, Berlin, Germany
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe consists of 2711 concrete blocks of varying heights arranged on a plot of roughly 19,000 square meters (about 4.7 acres) near Brandenburg Gate. The blocks stand in a strict grid pattern, forming irregular passages that visitors can walk through.
Following years of debate, the German parliament approved construction in 1999 based on a design by American architect Peter Eisenman. The memorial opened on May 10, 2005, sixty years after the end of World War II.
Visitors walk quietly through the narrow passages between the blocks, often alone or in small groups. The underground information center displays photographs, diary entries and personal accounts that connect faces and names to those who were persecuted.
The stelae field lies between Behrenstraße to the north, Cora-Berliner-Straße to the east, Hannah-Arendt-Straße to the south and Ebertstraße to the west, one block south of the Brandenburg Gate. The paths are 95 centimetres wide, too narrow for two people side by side; thirteen marked axes are suited to wheelchairs and visitors with walking difficulties. The ground sinks below street level, so the surrounding traffic fades as you go in.
Each concrete block varies in height from roughly 8 inches (20 centimeters) to over 15 feet (4.7 meters), changing how the space feels as you move through it. The ground itself slopes gently, making some blocks seem deeper than they actually stand.
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