Memorials=Tourist Attractions

While my parents were here in Berlin we (me and Dave) took a walk to the Holocaust Memorial with them. In the past week before they got here, in a class discussion my class talked about how it really was just a tourist attraction rather than a memorial. I never really thought about memorials in this way before, but its definitely true.

Many people are upset at the creation of the memorial because of its former potential and

current status as a tourist attraction, but for those of whom it does mean something, I think it was worth it. When I visited the Holocaust Memorial the first time I honestly had no idea what it was. I'm sorry to say that I actually used it as an ordinary park the first time I saw it. I sat on the big concrete blocks and just hung out. I really had no idea.

The second time I visited, I have to say I didn't have much of a different experience because we learned about the history of the monumental, rather than having a discussion or

reflection of the actual Holocaust, or what it symbolized. Apparently the anti-graffitti spray used on the monument was supplied by a company that used to supply gas to many of the gas chambers during the Holocaust (but that's just a side note).

The third time, however, was the time with my parents, when we gave them a tour of what the memorial symbolized after learning about it in another class. Apparently you are supposed to feel more and more disoriented the further and further you get to the center. The ground is uneven as you wander through, and what appears to be very uniform from the outside is very overwhelming/confusing/strange on the inside.

But back to the idea of a memorial as a tourist attraction--Yes. Very true. Each time I went to the memorial I hadn't even walked through it...So I couldn't even tell you if I fell disoriented or

confused o overwhelmed on the inside, that is only how I imagine it. Each time I visited it seemed we were in a rush, or it was just a stop on the way, which is an awful thing, but just further proof that memorials are a tourist attraction. Yes, you heard me...Memorials are often transformed into a tourist attraction, just like our monuments in the states. What IS the Washington Memorial? WHY do we need one for Lincoln AND Jefferson?

Surely, I think the ones for the wars deserve much more credit, as people actually go to them and they are quiet and respectful, but the atmosphere just isn't there in the Berlin Holocaust Memorial. I haven't seen one person say a prayer or leave flowers on it. Apparently, no one actually uses it to remember their loved ones...but whose fault is that! Maybe if people actually used it in the beginning for its function instead of being bitter...it wouldn't have such an awful atmosphere.