Holocaust Visit

1974 Words4 Pages

Not many people have the opportunity to go to Europe for two weeks and study the Holocaust. I was a lucky person being able to go on an amazing trip this past summer with my teacher, as well as some classmates of mine. On the trip we visited four countries: Poland, Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany. Never did I think I would be going to Europe, let alone going to Europe to study the Holocaust. In all the spots we were seeing pieces of art, whether it be a monument or a sculpture, even a painting, it was amazing. When I was in Berlin there was a monument that really caught my eye, it is known as the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe. Architect Peter Eisenman and engineer Buro Happold designed it. The monument sits at the center of Berlin …show more content…

The entire experience just stuck with me. At first, I was very confused as to what exactly the monument was because all I saw was a lot of stone slabs on the ground of various heights and lengths. It was made as if it were a maze. Some say that the slabs are so close together because it makes the person feel very compact and stuck, just like the people of the Holocaust felt. The point was to make the people who were running around the monument to feel very claustrophobic. On one end there are children and people sitting on bench like slabs, while others are touring the entire monument. When in the monument, people are cut off from the rest of what is going on and are stuck. (new Yorker). Others theorize that Eisneman chose stone slabs to resemble tombstones for the dead (Memorial). I for one definitely felt confined and stuck because I actually got lost. I was so confused and worried while inside the maze like structure that I was running trying to find my group. Finally, I made it out and the only thing I could say was I was glad to be out, now imagine what people of the Holocaust were going through. Also, the heights and lengths of the slabs are meant to show the different people from the Holocaust, whether they are short or tall, young or old, and so much more. I saw many different monuments and I have never felt like I did when I entered this

More about Holocaust Visit

Open Document