Situated along the Weesperstraat, an important axis within the Jewish Cultural Quarter, the Dutch Holocaust Memorial of Names is adjacent to the Hermitage Museum, East of the Diaconie’s verdant Hoftuin garden and café, just a stone’s throw from the Amstel River and in close proximity to important Jewish cultural institutions such as the Jewish Historical Museum and the Portuguese Synagogue.
The 1,550 square meter memorial incorporates four volumes that represent the letters in the Hebrew word לזכר meaning “In Memory of”. The volumes are arranged in a rectilinear configuration on the north-south axis of the main thoroughfare Weesperstraat and the Hoftuin pavilion to the East.
As visitors enter the memorial they will encounter a labyrinth of passages articulated by two-meter-high brick walls carrying the message of Remembrance. Each of the four volumes is crafted from mirror-finished stainless steel that hovers above the walls of individually stacked bricks. 102,000 bricks are each inscribed with a name, giving a tangible quantification to the many casualties, as well as leaving 1000 blank bricks that will memorialize the unknown victims.
Construction started in 2019. The project opened on September 19, 2021.
Source: libeskind.com
CREDITS
Design: Studio Libeskind
Team Studio Libeskind: Daniel Libeskind, Stefan Blach, Johan van Lierop, Alex Tahinos, Amanda de Beaufort
Architect of record in the Netherlands: Rijnboutt
Team Rijnboutt: Bart van der Vossen, Richard Koek, David Philipsen, Jan Oudeman, Jordy van der Veen, Marcel Bakker, Margret van den Broek, Marian Enders, Max Both, Patrick Kolanczyk, Paul Beijeman, Petrouschka Thumann, Rob Korlaar
