The “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe” is a must-see attraction in Berlin. That’s a long name, but you all can call it the “Holocaust Memorial.” It is there to remind us of the atrocities that happened during the Holocaust. Based on its lengthy name, you wouldn’t really know about when the murder was if you don’t know of its history. So, how about making the already long name of the place longer to make it clearer? How does the “Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe During the Holocaust” sound?
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The Holocaust Memorial is not far from the Brandenburg Tor.
It honours the 7 million people who were murdered under the rule of Hitler.
There are 2,711 gray concrete slabs/stelae spread over 19,000 square meters at the centre of Berlin.
As you can see, the slabs are not of the same height, but of the same length.
Thus, they form long, narrow alleys that feel like you’re going into the depth of it – or going out of it.
Though there are no epitaphs, these concrete slabs obviously look like coffins.
Once you’re done strolling between the short and tall “coffins”, don’t forget to visit the museum under those.
Read, watch, and listen to the personal stories from the Holocaust survivors.
It is overwhelming to take them all in, and you’ll come out either with a tear or with a heavy heart.
And with a hope that it won’t happen again.
From the museum, go across the park. You will find the ONLY massive slab of concrete with a different design. This is the “Memorial to Homosexuals Persecuted Under Nazism.” Read the inscription and go around it. Take a peek on what’s inside through a tiny glass window.
And you’ll find LOVE.
Hostel/Hotel in Berlin
I stayed at Hostel a&o Berlin Hauptbahnhof, which is around 7 minutes walk to Berlin Train Terminal Station. You can book it via Booking, Expedia, HostelWorld, and TripAdvisor. The hostel was a convenient choice for me as I had an early train trip to Prague on my last day. The hostel is clean, and the rooms are quite spacious, too. They have a pool table, bicycle rental, luggage storage, a spacious lobby, a bar, and a souvenir shop. They’ve got a nice laundry room, too. If you’re a traveler who likes to walk, the Bundestag, Brandenburg Tor Gate, and Reichstag are just 30 minutes walk from the hostel. It’s a good value for money.