The Holocaust Memorial in Berlin is located a short walk from the Brandenburg Gate and is amongst the top things to do in Berlin. There are a few things you should know before going.
The creation of the Memorial
In 1999, the German Federal Parliament approved the design of American architect Peter Eisenman, for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe also called the Holocaust Memorial.
Construction started in 2003 and the memorial was opened to the public in May 2005.
The memorial consist of 2,711 concrete stelae all rectangular but all of different sizes. The stelae are all in perfect alignment forming a grid which undulates with the ground they stand on.
Eisenman who is considered as a deconstructionist and a postmodern theorist, explained that, with his design, he wanted visitors “to feel the loss and disorientation that Jews felt“.
The controversies
From the start, the memorial was, is still, and will probably always be, for one reason or another, controversial.
It starts with its official name which is the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. To some, such name doesn’t provide enough clarity on the historical facts that should be remembered. It doesn’t give clarity on who the victims were either.
Other focus on the installation itself. It’s too abstract & too philosophical to some. Most wanted it to present historical information. Some still argue that it is disconnecting, because of the lack of victims’ names.
In short, a lot of people consider that the memorial doesn’t serve its purpose because of its design.
And then came #Yolocaust
#Yolocaust & How people behave at the memorial
#Yolocaust can be considered as another controversy. But it isn’t about the memorial itself, it is about the behavior of people who come to see it.
Before going, I had seen a few pictures which I didn’t really think much of but would have not taken or shared. Mostly selfies with or without acrobatic pauses…
When I arrived at the memorial, I wasn’t prepared for the whole scene.
People were chilling and sunbathing on the slabs. Having a snack or a drink while listening to music or chatting on their phones, speaker on, of course. Kids and adults alike were playing hide and seek, running around, laughing… Lot’s of selfies were taken, between the slabs, on the slabs, jumping from slab to slab…
I felt uneased. Why would you do this? There is a perfectly nice and huge park across the street, Tiergarten, to run around, exercise, do yoga or picnic.
So when I came back home, and to write this article, I read quite a few articles about the memorial and found out I was not the only one “puzzled” by such behaviors.
In 2017, Shahak Shapira, an Israeli-German writer, took some selfies taken at the memorial from social media and published them with the background replaced by images from concentration camps and with the hastag #Yolocaust.
This lead to a flood of conversation on the topic. Google this if you want to read more.
I disagree with on point in such articles, which make it sounds like it’s just teenagers and younger generations who behave inappropriately. From what I’ve seen, it’s not a generational issue!
But there is one thing that stroke me even more, when reading about this: apparently a huge amount of people do not know this is a holocaust memorial when visiting.
Wait? What?? How? It can’t be all about the name. They don’t arrive there by mistake? Plus it doesn’t look like a regular park. I think the ressemblance of the slabs with tombstones is too obvious to not, at least, question where you are.
If they really don’t know where they are, then maybe this takes us back to the beginning and the arguments of the ones who consider that the memorial doesn’t serve its purpose. Maybe…
How to behave at the Memorial?
With all these controversies, even the architect / artist had to insist that the memorial isn’t a graveyard, nor a sacred place. That everyone should be allowed to experience it, as they wish.
Having said that, it is hard for me to tell you that running around and playing hide and seek is ok. I have a hard time being ok with people jumping from slabs to slabs too.
If anything, I just don’t agree in general, with people who touch paintings in museum, who lean against antique statues, who climb on Gothic cathedrals to make cool YouTube videos, who stumble on fields of poppies for an Insta shot, etc. Generally, these behaviors seems to me disrespectful.
I guess I’m old and judgmental!
Is the memorial a cool photoshoot background? It sure seems that a lot of people think so. I took pictures too, to document this article.
However, I feel that if you have an urge to do a yoga pose or other acrobatics that must be on Insta, then just go somewhere in Tiergarten. Same if you feel like eating your sandwich or fooling around really.
Considering how many drunks come to the memorial to do their business (no ok either obviously!), I wouldn’t really recommend any variation of handstand poses, anyway!
So what do you do?
Well, if you want to experience the memorial, as a memorial, or as an art installation, than maybe keeping it simple and respectful is the way to go. Walk amongst the stelae, feel the uneven ground under your feet, look up to see the surrounding disappear.
As the stelae grow taller and you move forward, are you at ease or do you feel disoriented, despite the straight path ahead of you? As the sounds of city disappear and the giant grey stones oppressively surround you, are you still comfortable or are you eager to get out?
Feel the place. Be respectful of the place, its meaning & others. That’s it.
The technical bits
The memorial is always open. You can go anytime of the day or night. I wouldn’t go at night, not alone at least.
There is an information center underneath. Obviously it isn’t opened 24/7 and you can find the opening times and details on www.visitberlin.de
Yes, it took me a while to get pictures with mostly no one on it. But it’s possible!
Are you planning to visit Berlin?
I highly recommend you to download my Berlin walking tour map which will take you to all the main sites in Berlin Mitte. Don’t have to walk all the way, there are plenty of bikes available now.
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