Most powerful memorial memory - MP Welch

My most powerful memory at a memorial happened recently at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin. I visited it on a ‘free walking tour of Berlin’ in February while studying abroad. I remember being surprised that this monumental memorial was randomly situated in a block in Berlin, and we discussed why this location was better suited for a memorial than where Hitler died, which we saw either before or after – I can’t remember - because a marking in that location could be interpreted as a grave and memorial to him as a person. The memorial itself was fun to explore, as opposed to other sites that were just buildings or grassy expanses where we had to imagine what used to be there. It was chilling to walk through the memorial alone. I remember feeling the cool, smooth slab of the concrete to find stability in the disorientating area. Though I initially thought the blocks symbolized headstones, once in the memorial I felt like I was walking through a something more profound than a graveyard. Interestingly, though our book mentions vandalism and how people often play on the concrete slabs, I was struck by how solemn the area was, despite the lack of a marking. The interactive nature of the area engendered a feeling that has lasted long after leaving.