Although its official title is the “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe”, the massive field of gray stelae located a short walk from the Brandenburg Gate or Potsdamer Platz is commonly known as the “Holocaust memorial”. Architect Peter Eisenman’s 2,711 concrete pillars were installed over a period of two years, and the memorial opened after nearly a decade of controversy in 2005.
Because most visitors enter the memorial from the western end at Ebertstrasse, they are unaware that the massive field also hides a large informational exhibition, built under the memorial itself. Although you should certainly take time to feel lost in Eiseman’s maze-like construction, entrance to the museum is most easily found by walking along its outer perimeter to the Cora-Berliner-Strasse on its eastern side. A satellite image of the area makes the information center’s entrance more visible.
You’ll want to plan at least an hour to visit the underground exhibition and fifteen minutes to wander through the undulating stelae.
The exhibition is free of charge and presented in both German and English. Saturdays at 3 p.m., the center also offers a free English-language tour. Summer hours: 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; winter hours 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.. Closed Mondays. The memorial is accessible 24 hours per day.
Nearby, you’ll also find two other memorials to Nazi-persecuted groups: homosexuals and the Sinti and Roma. Both are located in the Tiergarten, within short walking distance of the Holocaust memorial. Use this link to find their exact locations.