Reflecting on the past of Berlin, Germany it is impossible to leave aside the experience of the Holocaust. Especially within the remembrance of this history of genocide, there is the Holocaust Tower and Void as the main symbols. In this blog post, I will discuss why these memorial sites are important and the factors that make them; their architectural structures and the feeling they give are.
The Holocaust Tower:
Holocaust Tower also called as Leerstelle or an empty space is another breathtaking memorial available in the Jewish Museum Berlin. It has a function to remind the millions of people whom perished in the holocaust.
The tower itself is a single individual frame which is not designed with beds, or couple of windows or anything to give a feeling of company to a victim; they all are lonely and depressed. As it is constructed with thick concrete walls, and the inside of this building is painful and uses low light the Walt Disney’s museum gives a feeling of suffocation and at the same time, it makes people to look inside themselves.
Architectural Features:
The architect of the Holocaust Tower is Peter Eisenman in conjunction with the structural engineers Buro Happold. It currently measures 24 meter high and has walls which are 1.9 meters or 6.2 feet thick. Door iron with massive weight marking the entrance to the tower has a horrid squeaky sound when opened.
Further, absence of the sunlight and temperature variation where a tower, for instance, is commonly darker and colder than the external environment, is.In addition to this, the absence of the natural light and darkness in the tower makes one feel the ordeal that holocaust victims had to go through, the cold dark towers felt colder tha Various travelers mentioned that they feel a kind of monotony and personal reminiscence while being inside the walls of the tower.
The Holocaust Void:
Next to the Holocaust Tower is the Holocaust Void, known also as the “Garten des Exils,” or Garden of Exile. The sculptor created outdoor area Memorial is unlike the somber tone of the tower and it encourages visitor participation as a result of its provoking design.
The Holocaust Void commemorates the Jewish people who were displaced and uprooted during and after the holocaust through its symbolism. It consist of fifty concrete pillars arranged randomly at varying heights, lean angles and directions whereby one feels lost.
Symbolism and Interpretation:
What is symbolic in the design of the Holocaust Void is that there is no solid structure, which has several interpretations. The prose leaning pillars refer to frustration and unfixed situations people face when they are displaced and the gaps referring to a lack.
As with any code, visitors are to walk around the garden and literally and figuratively lose themselves to reconsider the feelings of discomfort identified with the Holocaust victims.
Emotional Impact and Remembrance:
The Holocaust Tower and Void are mundane constructs; they are designed as provoked rememberance sites that create fusion of sentiments. As visitors follow positions within the cold and cramped hierarchy of the tower or lose themselves in the confused maze of the garden of the void the realities of horror and tragedy of the holocaust are presented to the viewer.
These memorials make it possible for people of young and old ages and from all walks of life experience a fulfilling learning process. They are the people who will continue to tell us to never forget the suffering and the tortures we put them through, during this painful part of history and also challenge and encourage us to make a positive change in the future citizenship.
Tips for Visitors:
The best thing to do is to plan and book your visit in advance so that you get a good time to be there.
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The nature of the site should be accorded the respect it deserves by visitors by not loud or boisterous at the site.
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It is recommended to take a guided tour if she wants to find out more about the history of this memorial.
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Be ready for some emotions while visiting and remember that it is okay to allow yourself to go through your thought process during this journey.
Holocaust Tower and Void serve a vital part of the memorial, forming a memory for the Holocaust victims and educating generations. When we come to these memories spaces, we assist in the remembering process and guarantee that the events in the past are not forgotten.
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