Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, Berlin, Germany
After years of controversy, The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe was established in central Berlin, close to the Reichstag, the Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Wall, which once divided the city. It consists of a grid of 2,711 concrete pillars of varying heights, spaced closely to allow only one person at a time to pass between them. At some points, the ground slopes and the pillars tower over visitors. The designer, Peter Eisenman, intended to create a confusing atmosphere, a feeling of being trapped, and the sense of an ordered system run amok. The work lends itself to many other interpretations, however. Some feel it resembles a cemetery or rows of coffins, though the artist says this was not his intention.
Credits
Image courtesy of Eisenman Architects.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 10.
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