The Holocaust Memorial

 

Well I knew it was only a matter of time that something along these lines will be written and here it is. The picture above is a real life full scale artist's rendition near Potsdamer Platz Berlin, of the massacre of the Jews during the 2nd world war. These are concrete slabs shaped like tombs which revoke the events of the ghastly memory. When you enter the maze(the war begins) the slabs are a mere 2 or 3 feet high(people step on them kids play around them, couples kiss and hug and what not) and as one continues to move inside, the ground beneath starts getting lower and lower and slabs start to  become conversely higher. Then one reaches a point where the slabs stand 12 to 15 feet high. There one can actually feel quite trapped lost scared and isolated within the field(when the war and holocaust were at its peak). and you continue walking and you step out of the maze(the war and the holocaust ends)
This memorial has been criticised for being too abstract and many would agree with it. I however feel that its quite a smart/intelligent way to depict the gory events of that time without the use of imagery or forms of communication.

And there is a museum under it which has stories, biographies, diary entries, pictures, souvenirs and other memorabilia  For people who are interested in history this might seem like a goldmine. I feel a disclaimer would be quite fitting here. The events the stories and their representation in the museum is not for the weak of hearts. It is a brutal and ghastly reminder of what humanity has suffered to reach where it has, today. I fashion this blog, a feat of immense technological advancement itself, in a restive neighbourhood  in a quiet room, on my super fast computer, but behind the calm on my face there lurks a deadly violent and grotesque history that I as a human am a part of.