Pillars of remembrance

What a long debate has surrounded the Berlin Holocaust memorial! First there was the question whether Germany even needed such a memorial and then what it should look like. When American designer Peter Eisenman finally presented his design after considerable wrangling, the criticism came pouring in.

The memorial contained 2,711 concrete steles. "Too blockish," complained the critics, "Too abstract." They said it was just another drop zone for memorial wreaths, an adventure playground for teenaged antics. A final stroke carved in stone for historical amnesiacs. Even an invitation for neo-Nazi vandalism in the middle of Berlin.

Though the skepticism and concern were understandable, it has become clear over the five years of the monument's existence that they were unnecessary.

The field of pillars lies at the heart of Berlin in quick walking distance to the Brandenburg Gate - arguably Germany's most famous national symbol. Open to visitors at all times, the memorial is not fenced off, there's no entry fee, and it requires no more from its visitors than a willingness to engage with it.

The underground information center, which was added later, complements the abstract monument by giving the names of the victims and telling their tales of suffering. Some two million people have already visited the center; many more have walked through the monument above.

Even if it is just one more sight to see on their tour of Berlin, the number of visitors the memorial receives daily testifies to the monument having become just as part of everyday life as it is part of Germany's larger culture of remembrance.

Those who wish to learn more about the Holocaust don't have to look far. The newly openend "Topography of Terror" - a sort of counterpart to the memorial - tells the story of the Nazis' crimes against humanity in explicit detail. Meanwhile, the memorial to Europe's murdered Jews, remarkable for its abstraction and size, has become part of Berlin's historical landscape. It is part of a Germany-wide network of Holocaust museums and memorials that so often commemorate victims' individual fates.

One should not forget, as the memorial marks its fifth anniversary, that it was not something forced on the country from above or by the descendents of the victims. Nor did its conceptualization begin at an official level. In fact, the idea was born twenty years ago in a citizens' initiative spearheaded by journalist Lea Rosh and historian Eberhard Jaeckel. And so the monument is, in the best sense, a manifestation of personal dedication and historical conscience.

This memorial replaces neither live conversations with those who endured the Holcaust, nor the private mourning of individuals. And it certainly doesn't absolve us from our responsibility of coming to terms with the Holocaust, National-Socialism and war in general in our schools, scholarship and society. It is, however, an example of how intensively - after a long period of concealment and sugar-coating - Germany is dealing with its Nazi past.

Cornelia Rabitz is a culture editor for Deutsche Welle's German service. (dl)

Editor: Kate Bowen