Tuesday, July 27, 2021

Holocaust Monument

 The National Holocaust Monument was opened several years ago on Lebreton Flats to commemorate the millions killed during World War Two by the Nazis. It is a collaborative effort, with stark, angled architecture entirely appropriate to its theme.


Down through one entrance we go.


Contemporary photographs by the Canadian photographer Edward Burtynsky are etched onto the walls. At left here is Hiding Place, Warsaw Jewish Cemetery, Poland. At right is Prayer Room, Theresienstadt, Czech Republic.


Stepping into an antechamber gives us a space of reflection, with a memorial flame in an alcove on the wall.


Stepping back out of this space brings us to the next of the Burtynsky photos. Abandoned Railbed, Treblinka, Poland shows how nature is gradually reclaiming the path to the Treblinka death camp.


Here we have Track 17, Berlin, Germany. This was the departure point for many Jews and others to death camps during the war.


Fence, Auschwitz-Birkenau, Poland is the most haunting of these photographs.


Site Of Death March, Near Mauthausen, Austria depicts a quiet scene today. In the dying days of the war, in an attempt to hide their crimes, the Nazis forced prisoners to march out from the camps towards territories still in German hands. 20 000 sick and weakened Jewish prisoners passed by here in the last days of the war; those who were unable to keep up were shot and left in the ditches.


A series of panels goes into detail about the Holocaust.


A look from here towards the staircase heading to the upper level.


Up here the monument is aligned to look towards the Peace Tower, visible in the distance at a gap in the trees.


A look down from here at the monument.


And a closing shot today from the west entrance. This monument is a sobering, haunting one, and well suited to its purpose.

50 comments:

  1. I read many a book on this. Horrible. And it seems it comes back everywhere in the world - not against Jewish people only, so sad.
    I hope such monuments help to make people get better persons. And avoid the total horror.

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  2. An forbidding, strong piece of architecture, and aptly designed to reflect what was the horror of the Holocaust.

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  3. The architecture successfully represents the brutality of those times.

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  4. @Iris: one can hope.

    @Italiafinlandia: indeed.

    @Rosemary: very much so.

    @Marianne: that it is.

    @John: it does indeed.

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  5. Hello,
    It is a stark design, representing well the horrors of the Holocaust.
    Have a great day!

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  6. ...this is a stark reminder of a time in history that should never be forgotten.

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  7. I follow the Auschwitz Memorial on Twitter. The reality if the Holocaust is memorialized every day there. I would like to see this Canadian memorial too.

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  8. @Eileen: it was well designed.

    @Francisco: thank you.

    @Tom: definitely.

    @David: well worth it.

    @Marie: a good idea.

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  9. That's another very impressive monument again.

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  10. Gosh you guys certainly know how to do memorial sculptures William, this is stunning and so beautifully shown here. The wall etchings are superb ✨

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  11. Thank you for sharing this incredible memorial.

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  12. Beautiful designs, tastefully executed.

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  13. Lest we forget... However I don't think I could go through any of the Holocaust Memorials, I'm just too sensitive in my emotions. I get all choked up just seeing it here on your blog.

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  14. The photographs work so well to get the message across. Wonderful of you to show us this, William.

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  15. This is such a beautiful and impressive memorial. It's very impactful.

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  16. A very large monument which passes in information in a very striking way.

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  17. @Jan: very much so.

    @Grace: I agree.

    @DJan: you're welcome.

    @Magiceye: I think so.

    @Barbara: that's understandable.

    @RedPat: thank you.

    @Sharon: it certainly does that.

    @Red: quite so.

    @Janey: it is.

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  18. This is striking and very sobering. The etched photos are really a wonderful idea and that one on the exterior scary as all get out, when you think what went on in the camps. The sharp angles add to the tension and uncomfortable feeling one might have entering -- and then that lovely alcove. Really thought provoking.

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  19. Very creative tribute and excellent photos ~


    Living in the moment,

    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  20. So very sad and so very important to remember. It is perfect for what it does.

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  21. Heartbreaking poignant. And needed to be remembered. Thanks for sharing. And thank you for your continued visits to my blog. Have a great day. Jo

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  22. An impressive memorial.

    All the best Jan

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  23. Hard to look at, even in your photographic essay.

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  24. Heart breaking, yet it needs to be remembered.

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  25. Those clouds add to your dramatic photos of this somber memorial.

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  26. Wow ... it's a sobering important memorial, so much thought put into it. Thanks for sharing, William.

    eden

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  27. I can see why they probably designed it the way it looks, it reminds me of a concentration camp entrance.

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  28. Fascinating building of harsh angles, it makes you look and think:)

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