Goldener Riss, Memorial in central Berlin, Germany

Goldener Riss is a 17-metre crack cut into the granite paving of Breitscheidplatz and the steps leading up to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche in Berlin-Charlottenburg. The fissure is filled with a gold-coloured alloy, so a shiny golden line runs from the stairway down across the grey stone slabs, curving slightly near its lower end.

The 17-metre Goldener Riss was inaugurated on 19 December 2017, the first anniversary of the Islamist attack on the Christmas market at the Gedächtniskirche, which killed visitors on 19 December 2016. The ceremony was attended by relatives of the victims, Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Berlin's governing mayor Michael Müller. The design came from the studio Merz Merz.

The gold-filled fissure was designed by the Berlin studio Merz Merz and inaugurated on 19 December 2017, the first anniversary of the attack. On the front steps of the stairway to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche an inscription reads: "Zur Erinnerung an die Opfer des Terroranschlags am 19. Dezember 2016. Für ein friedliches Miteinander aller Menschen". The first names, surnames and countries of origin of all victims are engraved in white letters on the sides of the steps.

The Goldener Riss lies on the Breitscheidplatz pavement in Charlottenburg and runs down the steps toward the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gedächtniskirche. The memorial is freely accessible around the clock. The gold-filled fissure lies flat in the ground, so it can be viewed from a wheelchair or with a stroller; the inscription and the victims' names are on the front faces of the steps.

The gold alloy filling the 17-metre fissure was chosen so the crack catches the light against the grey granite slabs. The design came from the Berlin studio Merz Merz, and the fissure was deliberately cut through the paving and the adjoining steps rather than left as damage.