Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe
Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas
Peter Eisenman's undulating field of 2,711 grey concrete stelae commemorates the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis. An information center lies underground.
The Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe occupies a block just south of the Brandenburg Gate, covering 19,000 square meters. It opened in May 2005, on the 60th anniversary of Victory in Europe Day, and was designed by the American architect Peter Eisenman. 2,711 grey concrete stelae, ranging in height from 0.2 to 4.7 meters, stand in a grid over undulating ground. The farther toward the center you walk, the taller the stelae and the lower the ground, and the sounds of the city gradually fade, creating a sense of disorientation, oppression and unease. The designer deliberately avoided explanatory symbols so that each visitor can form their own experience. The underground information center (free, with a security check) presents the history of the Holocaust across four rooms. The Room of Dimensions projects letters and diary excerpts from victims. The Room of Families traces the fates of 15 Jewish families. The Room of Names reads aloud, on a loop, the names and biographies of known victims; reading them all would take six years and seven months. The Room of Places marks more than 200 sites of mass killing. An audio guide (including Chinese) is also available. The memorial is open all day, free of charge. Please keep the atmosphere solemn: climbing, jumping, picnicking or making noise on the stelae is prohibited. In 2017, artist Shahak Shapira satirized visitors who pose for selfies here with his 'Yolocaust' project. Nearby, the Memorial to the Homosexuals Persecuted under the Nazi Regime (on the Tiergarten side), established in 2008, and the Memorial to the Sinti and Roma Victims of National Socialism (beside the Reichstag) can also be visited. Getting there: Brandenburger Tor S-Bahn/U-Bahn station, or U2 to Potsdamer Platz station, then a 5-minute walk. At the southeast corner of the memorial, beside an underground passage, is the former site of Hitler's bunker. Today it is just a car park and an information board.
Opening hours
Stele forest open all day; information center Tuesday–Sunday 10:00 AM–6:00 PM (last entry 5:15 PM), closed Mondays
Nearby sights
- Brandenburg Gate
- Reichstag Building
- Potsdamer Platz
- Topography of Terror
- Checkpoint Charlie
- Gendarmenmarkt
- Gemäldegalerie
- Museum Island