Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas

Abstract art leaves its interpretation to the viewer so I feel a lot of people may have mix feelings about this.

I visited back in March 2023 and only visited the main level because I was not aware there was a lower level. Our tour guide brought us to this place and gave a brief description of the monument. He brought up to our attention that sometimes there are people (pickpockers) that use kids running inside the monument as a distraction to corner people and take their things. There are signs in many languages warning visitors about this. The monument is free to visit and technically open the 24 hours but I visited during the day so not sure I would like to visit here at night. In the deepest and lowest part of the monument the sun has a hard time reaching the bottom and you can feel the coldness and the solitude of the fact that these horrible events took place. This memorial reminisces a graveyard due to the shape and layout of the rectangular slabs. There are some very narrow alleys where only one person can fit and others are a little wider to fit two.

This is a must see when visiting the city.

created in 2005. This memorial is controversial because it created a long time after world war 2 to remember the crimes in a large and public manner.

Abstract art. 2,711 coffins. 4,000 didn't fit so it cut down but it was an abstract number

Created by a Jewish artist and didn't share if anything was symbolic of meant anything

Exclusive memorial for the murdered Jewish people of Europe and some people see it as exclusive of other murdered peoples. It is not a holocaust memorial.

I visited in November 2022 but wasn't allowed to go into the downstairs area of the memorial because I didn't have a COVID mask on. At this point and time, 99% of the country and world were past wearing mask, so I was a little disappointed that I didn't get to see what was downstairs in the memorial.

I didn't plan on visiting this memorial but I was close by and decided to stop.

This was definitely one of the highlights of my visit to Berlin. Walking through the memorial was so powerful.

After I walked through the memorial I stood at one end for about 10 minutes in silence just thinking about all the people that were killed.

Definitely recommend coming here.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was a long time in planning before its May 10 2005 inauguration, but across 200,000 square feet the varying concrete slabs are quite powerful. Designed by architects Peter Eisenman and Buro Happold be sure to go early or at an off-hour to avoid lines. Said to "represent a supposedly ordered system that has lost touch with human reason" the concept seemingly represents the National Socialist German Workers' Party well, but in person largely feels like a cemetery.

There are two thousand, seven hundred and eleven gray concrete slabs with varying heights, but with the same horizontal dimensions. They are arranged so that there are narrow alleys between them and the memorial is slightly slanted. As others have mentioned, it is reminiscent of a graveyard. There is an underground information center you can find information on the victims.

The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was a must-see for my first trip to Berlin. Hands-down, it was one of the most chilling, moving, and haunting experiences I've had at any memorial and, rightfully so. The power to evoke such feeling stirred the further I walked in - with its wave-like form, the experience and depth varied depending on where I was within the memorial. I was told this design is intentional as it represents the varying depths to which mass graves were built. Let that sink in.

If you've never gone, I highly suggest you visit the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. But, please keep in mind that it is very disrespectful to sit on, jump on, or play on any memorial, let alone one that represents the atrocities that befell on European Jews. This is a memorial, not a playground or park. We must remember to be respectful and mindful - it is the least we can do.

This is an awesome memorial, unlike any other memorial once you enter it you are literally engulfed by it. The memorial is even more impressive by design as it looks different from every angle.

An attached underground "Place of Information" (German: Ort der Information) holds the names of approximately 3 million Jewish Holocaust victims. The monument is composed of 2711 rectangular concrete blocks, laid out in a grid formation, the monument is organized into a rectangle-like array covering 1.9 hectares (4.7 acres).

Reflective, moving, uneasy and understated architecture are terms that come to mind when visiting this memorial in the heart of Berlin. Having just visited Auschwitz and Birkenau in Poland the week prior to coming to Germany, I was interested in what kind if any, memorials have the Germans put up in their country to memorialize the Holocaust. After doing a bit of research, they actually have quite a few.

If you can imagine, rows upon rows of gray blocks of the same size with various heights and placed in precise, even rows on uneven ground in what seems to be a city block. I read somewhere that there are 2711 of these blocks. It's quite impressive from a distance and with the stark contrast of the lively, bustling city that Berlin is today. From a distance, when viewed in its entirety, the shadows and uniformity of the blocks (despite the varying heights) gives one the feeling of reverence and solemness.

Walking between the blocks you can tell that some structures are as high as 15 feet tall but you'd never know from looking at it from afar since the ground that it's built on is not even but is uneven, rolling mounds. There is enough space to walk between these blocks and one can easily get disoriented when they are in the "valley" and you can't see anything but sky above you and paths between the blocks.

I get it. Even without an explanation. The name translates as The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. No hiding behind the word murdered.

This memorial is free to visit and is an easy walk from Brandenburg Gate at city central. Berlin is a very walkable city with so many things condensed in an area. Definitely a place to stop at when visiting Berlin.

The memorial is up to each of us to determine and interpret its design and meaning. Its reason is enough to visit, though it's also very different from any memorial I've seen.

If this was not a memorial one could mistaken it for a concrete jungle playground. It does have that draw until you're in the middle of it and gets disoriented a bit. Note do not walk on top of the blocks out of respect.

Note try the free tours that starts at Brandenburg Gate and will pass through here. You can book ahead or do walk-ups if they haven't reached capacity. Tours are guided by non-Germans for the most part.

Einstein's project has awaken so much controversies. It's not pretty, it's not nice to be here, it's unorthodox. Under each piece of concrete, you find the gallery with the chronology and some of the letters of People saying goodbye. Its hard to be down here, it's sad and it breaks your heart all over again.

El proyecto de Einstein despertó mucha controversia. No es bello, no es lindo estar aquí, es polémico. Debajo de cada pieza de hormigón, encontras la galería con la historia cronológicamente contada y algunas cartas de las víctimas diciendo adiós a sus familias. Es duro estar aquí abajo, es tristísimo y se te vuelve a romper el corazón.