I agree. And I see the power of art to evoke wordless emotional responses apropos to the reign of evil.
Read more about this unusual artistic expression below.
Photo by Geoffrey W. Sutton, suttong.com
Link to my YouTube video
https://youtube.com/shorts/Rwlo14aun0I?si=4-JyWZ0uSI4XJlGm
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The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, commonly known as the Holocaust Memorial, is a poignant tribute to the Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Located in Berlin, it was designed by architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold. The memorial spans a 1.9-hectare site and features 2,711 concrete slabs or "stelae" arranged in a grid pattern on a sloping field¹².
The idea for the memorial originated in the late 1980s, driven by a citizens' initiative led by journalist Lea Rosh and historian Eberhard Jäckel³. After years of debate and planning, the German parliament decided in 1999 to establish the memorial. Construction began on April 1, 2003, and was completed on December 15, 2004. The memorial was officially inaugurated on May 10, 2005, marking the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe¹⁴.
The stelae vary in height, creating an undulating wave-like form that invites personal reflection and interpretation. Beneath the field of stelae lies the "Place of Information," an underground information center that holds the names of approximately 3 million Jewish Holocaust victims, sourced from the Israeli museum Yad Vashem¹².
The memorial's location is also significant, situated near the Brandenburg Gate and the site of the former Berlin Wall's "death strip." This area once housed key Nazi government buildings, including Joseph Goebbels' urban villa³⁴.
Source: Conversation with Copilot, 10/12/2024
(1) . https://bing.com/search?q=history+of+the+Holocaust+memorial+in+Berlin.
(2) Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. http://www.stiftung-denkmal.de/.
(3) Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Murdered_Jews_of_Europe.
(4) The Holocaust Memorial – Berlin - History and Facts | History Hit. https://www.historyhit.com/locations/the-holocaust-memorial-berlin/.
(5) Museumsportal Berlin - Museum – The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. https://www.museumsportal-berlin.de/en/museums/denkmal-fur-die-ermordeten-juden-europas-ort-der-information/.
(6) Holocaust remembrance – DW – 05/10/2010 - dw.com. https://www.dw.com/en/five-years-on-berlin-holocaust-memorial-is-a-landmark-of-remembrance/a-5559425.
(7) Getty Images. https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/memorial-to-murdered-jews-of-europe-designed-by-royalty-free-image/998734990.
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The artistic presentation is not without controversy. See the link for a summary of some perspectives.
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-berlin-holocaust-memorial-by-peter-eisenman-177928
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Perhaps a more potent controversy was the association of the company that made the coating on the stones and the product used to murder Jews. See this quote and the link.
"Work resumes on Berlin Holocaust Memorial after halt in construction when it emerged that company profited from the production of Zyklon B gas during the war."
Link to quote source
https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2003/12/01/work-resumes-on-berlin-holocaust-memorial-after-halt-in-construction-when-it-emerged-that-company-profited-from-the-production-of-zyklon-b-gas-during-the-war
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Geoffrey W. Sutton has a PhD in psychology and writes about psychology and culture.
