Studio Libeskind and Haptic Architects
With Martha Schwartz Partners, BuroHappold, Lord Cultural Resources, Alan Baxter, Garbers & James and James E. Young
The Memorial communicates a shadow that has been cast forever on the history of civilization. Since there is no redemptive meaning in the Holocaust, visitors carry this shadow with them as they journey underground.
A dark, reflective metal plane cuts into the sky. The visitor walks down a wide timber ramp, passing through this plane into the underground.
Once inside, the visitor descends into darkness along a continuous trajectory, the path illuminated by light cast from the contents of the exhibitions.
Within this darkness, there is a single track – the Path of Hope – which elevates the visitor back into the world, culminating in a platform pier overlooking the Thames.
Turning back, the visitor sees the Memorial framed by the context beyond.
This memorial is minimal and uncompromising in its message: that to forget the Holocaust is to imperil civilization.
Lest one forgets the horror, one will see it repeated.
