Holocaust memorial in Milan, Italy, Holocaust Museum and Memorial at Central Station, Milan, Italy
The Memoriale della Shoah di Milano sits beneath the main railway station and consists of several levels linked by metal staircases. The space includes exhibition areas and the original track section where trains once departed.
Between 1943 and 1945, occupation forces used the basement as a gathering point for Jewish prisoners before deportation. The site opened as a memorial in 2013 to remember the transport of more than 600 people.
The name "Memoriale della Shoah" was chosen for the museum area created under Milano Centrale. Since 1997 the Community of Sant'Egidio has held a ceremony there every 30 January recalling Liliana Segre's departure; she was deported from Platform 21 at 13 and later became a senator for life. The foundation also runs temporary exhibitions and study work rather than presenting itself as a conventional museum.
Access is through a separate entrance beside the station, and guided visits last around 45 minutes. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes since the tour involves several flights of stairs.
Track 21 remains in its original condition, with rusted rails and concrete ramps showing the actual departure zone. The low ceilings and narrow passages convey a sense of confinement that prisoners experienced.
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