Orignal WTC designer unveils Holocaust monument

The star architect has designed Holocaust memorials in Berlin, Ohio and now Ottawa

Clockwise from top left: A rendering of a Holocaust monument in Ottawa, Canada; The Jewish Museum in Berlin; another view of the Jewish Museum in Berlin; and the Holocaust and Liberators Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse
Clockwise from top left: A rendering of a Holocaust monument in Ottawa, Canada; The Jewish Museum in Berlin; another view of the Jewish Museum in Berlin; and the Holocaust and Liberators Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse

WEEKENDEDITION Architect Daniel Libeskind’s stunning design was selected last week for the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa, Canada.

We’ve got pictures of it below, but first let’s look at the Jewish architect’s other prominent Holocaust monuments.

Libeskind, who is known for sharp, angular landmarks such as Toronto’s Royal Ontario Museum and the original design for One World Trade Center, started his most famous work in 1989 at the Jewish Museum Berlin.

The design of this museum, which looks like an exploded Star of David, seems to reflect the experiences of the Jews in Germany. Some exhibition spaces are light-filled and airy, while others — the spaces that memorialize the Holocaust — are dark, disorienting, and solemn.

 

The Jewish Museum in Berlin

The Jewish Museum in Berlin


The facade of the Jewish Museum in Berlin is marked by jagged lines which evoke a 6-pointed Jewish Star.

The Jewish Museum in Berlin

The Jewish Museum in Berlin

“What is important is the experience you get from it. The interpretation is open,” Libeskind said of his architecture.

Libeskind, who is Jewish, also designed a Holocaust monument in Ohio, the Holocaust and Liberators Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse, which will open on June 2nd. To reach this 1,029-square-foot monument, which also portrays the shape of a Jewish star, visitors will walk up a sloped pathway that is lined with inspirational quotes.

Daniel Libeskind's Holocaust and Liberators Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse

Daniel Libeskind’s Holocaust and Liberators Memorial at the Ohio Statehouse

Now, Libeskind has unveiled the designs for another Holocaust monument in Ottawa, Canada, that’s set to open in 2015. Shaped like an elongated Star of David, the design of the National Holocaust Monument is somewhat similar to Libeskind’s design for Berlin’s Jewish Museum. Visitors will walk through the triangular spaces while reflecting on photos of Holocaust sites and victims sunk into the concrete walls.

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“Through the transformative power of architecture, I Believe This Monument Will Become An Important Place for memory, remembrance and the celebration of the resilience of the human spirit,” Libeskind said in a statement.

The monument is configured in the shape of an elongated Jewish star, with six points.

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Each triangle of the star is composed of giant concrete pillars.

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People will be able to walk through these triangular spaces.

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The walls of the monument will be lined with photos commemorating the Holocaust.

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The National Holocaust Monument will be “a place of memory and mourning, honoring and commemorating,” according to Studio Daniel Libeskind.

The new exhibit is expected to cost up to $8.5 million to build and is scheduled to open in the fall of 2015.

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