Berlin 2016 - The Jewish Museum

The Jewish Museum consists of 2 buildings - a Baroque style old building and a new extension designed by architect Daniel Libeskind. The main entrance to the Museum is through the old building - and from there an underground tunnel connects to the new wing.

The underground tunnel connection sets the tone for the museum. With its spare finish, multiple corridors and skewed perspectives - the visitor is made to feel a bit confused and uneasy.

 

Libeskind wanted to express feelings of "abscence, emptiness amd invisibility - expressions of the disapperance of the Jewish Culture due to the Holocaust". The zig-zag form of the building and the internal spaces create a feeling of disorientation.

Inside the building are several Memory Voids - tall narrow voids lighted from a narrow slit at the top. The floor of the voids are covered in thousands of iron faces - symbolizing the lives lost during the Holocaust. 

The narrow slits throughout the facades of the building are like deep painful cuts on the skin. The building evokes quite an emotional experience.