This is a remarkable expanse of ground from which dark, cold, smooth angular concrete slabs seemingly spring up to varying heights in rows. The view is striking, with similarity to a graveyard of sorts against the backdrop of high buildings surrounding the space. The surface the slabs rise from is uneven, sloping and ascending softly as you walk in among the disorientating and imposing structures, 'steles', of this imaginative memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe. To interact and engage with the memorial this way creates an almost maze-like sense of confusion and distortion echoing, if even minutely, the isolation, claustrophobia and panic which must have been unimaginably magnified for those Jews commemorated here. Located at Cora-Berliner Str. right beside the Tiergarten, you can see the Holocaust Memorial as part of the Free Tour of Berlin recommended by Freetour.com and the Memorial information centre, open from 10am to 7pm (8pm busy season) and closed on Mondays, also contains four rooms of exhibits relating to the Holocaust and is free to enter.
Hint: You can download the Virtuelles Konzert app which is a recording of a specially composed piece of music played by the Berlin Kammersymphonie for a unique 2008 concert held at the memorial whereby at each stele of the memorial the music had a different sound and was heard differently by each audience member within the memorial. The App will allow you to hear the music differently depending on where you are standing in the memorial which adds a really powerful aspect to the experience of walking among the slabs.