Situated along the Weesperstraat, an important axis within the Jewish Cultural Quarter, the National Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names is a 1,550-square-meter public memorial. The labyrinthine memorial was realized by Studio Libeskind and local studio Rijnboutt to commemorate the 102,000 Dutch victims of the Holocaust for the first time. The four brick and mirror volumes that are seemingly floating represent the letters in the Hebrew word לזכר meaning “In Memory of”.
In honor of each of the victims who were killed during the second world war, primarily Jewish, Sinti and Roma people, and who have no known graves, the walls of the memorial are constructed from 102,000 bricks inscribed with the names of the victims. Alongside these bricks, 1,000 extra bricks were left blank to memorialize those who remain unknown. Trees, benches and white stone complete the memorial, providing moments for reflection and understanding.
Read more about the project here:
Popular Choice, 10th Annual A+Awards, Religious Buildings & Memorials
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