Jewish Museum, Berlin

On a recent trip to Berlin, I was treated to a visit to this fantastic museum. Designed by Daniel Libeskind, the Jewish Museum Berlin is one of the most spectacular museum buildings in Germany. Since the beginning it has been a magnet for the public, attracting 350,000 people even as an empty shell before it opened in fall 2001. The architecture was undoubtedly the cause for this initial popularity.

The 'zig zag' structure of the building lends itself well to the disorientaing feeling I had whilst walking through. The sharp lines and angles, the lack of natural light, and dark atmosphere create an experience that is reflected by that of the holocaust victims.

My favourite part of the museum, and for me the most memorable, is the Menashe Void with the art installation Shalechet (fallen leaves) by Menashe Kadishman (pictured in the last image above). The tall dark void is littered with thousands of metal faces, layered upon one another. As people tread over the faces, the sound of the metal 'clinking' together is echoed throughout the void and, to me, sounded like crying. This illusion of a mass grave was extremely effective, and gave me a real sense of the scale of the holocaust.