Art World
Berlin Holocaust Memorial Plagued by Structural Issues
Nine years after its opening, Berlin’s Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is experiencing significant structural issues, the Foundation for the memorial announced on Thursday. Dozens of the concrete pillars have large cracks. Forty-four pillars are currently additionally reinforced with cuffs to protect against any potential for their collapse.
A mere two years after the Peter Eisenman-designed holocaust memorial opened, cracks began to appear. They estimate that 2200 of the 2710 concrete pillars are damaged to some degree. The Berlin Regional Court began evidentiary proceedings against the construction company in 2012 at the request of the Memorial Foundation and the Senate Department for Urban Development in order to clarify why the memorial, which cost an estimated €27 million, is suffering from structural issues and who is at fault.
The condition of the pillars is examined every six months, reinforcing any that have become too significantly damaged to ensure the safety of the millions of visitors who walk between them every year.
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