Memories In Berlin
When I think about my last trip to Berlin there is one thing that comes to my mind immediately: the Holocaust-Mahnmal monument. The real name of this monument is Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas which translated to English is ´A monument for the Jews killed in Europe´.
As should become clear from the name, the monument is to commemorate the Jewish people in Europe who where killed during Hitler´s regime.
When you are in Berlin you can find this monument in the neighbourhood of the Brandenburger Tor – where you might want to drop by at one the most famous things in Berlin: the balcony where Michael J. decided to grab his baby by the ankle and wave him at the public. Pass the Brandenburger Tor, leaving Unter Den Linden behind you and go to the left, soon enough you will see the enormous monument in front of you.
No matter how much information I could give you about the Holocaust-Mahnmal, which consists of 2711 concrete blocks varying in height from 20 to 450cm, that are divided by an uneven path with a 95cm width, you will really have to go there to experience the feeling you get from walking through it.
When I did, being in the middle between the higher blocks made me feel not only disorientated, a feeling it is supposed to give you, but also quite scared (which might have been increased by one my friends who was walking on two ´lanes´ beside me, waiting to give me a heart attack) and I am not even a claustrophobic. It is an experience that makes you think about what happened during the Second World War.
An ironic anecdote to this story is that the blocks are covered with a chemical to make the cleaning of graffiti easier. Unfortunately they discovered that the same company that delivered this chemical turned out to have delivered the gas used in concentration camps as well. Building works were stopped for a while, but in the end it was decided that the company as it is today had enough distance from its past.
When you have found an Berlin Accommodation and are staying for a longer time, you should really take the time to visit this monument to experience it. From your Appartementen Berlijn you could also take a complete tour bringing you to all places that have to do with the Nazi regime.
If you have not found a place to stay yet, you might want to take a look at Accommodation in Berlin.
Enjoy! *Annemarie*
Posted on: Tuesday, February 10, 2009 at 3:47 pm 
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