Paper short abstract:

The memorial of the murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin is revealing political conflicts and differentiated symbolic. By studying the memorial and debates around its creation, this communication intends to return to the symbolic and divisive scope of memorialization.

Paper long abstract:

As Annette Wieviorka explains, there are some places which: 'permits to apprehend the original significations people want to give' to memory (Wieviorka 1997). Indeed, monuments are often used as memorial codes for important events, which should raise a common reality. In fact, the realization of a monument results from assignments and social conflicts, revealing political constructions.

In this communication, through a focus on the monument to the murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, the aim is to uncover the various symbolisms and imaginary awarded by various actors: Jewish communities, German politicians, tourists. This memorial is the culmination of an old project of 17, finally opened in 2005. The land chosen, next to the Brandenburg Gate, is the local Nazi authorities in the Third Reich. Among the many debates that have shaken the government and the German people, the choice of location was a significant disagreement stone (Grynberg, 2004/2005). Today, the memorial consists of 2,700 stelae variable heights of concrete over an area of 19,000 m²; this specific aesthetic seeks to impose in each weight murder perpetrated by the Nazis. Paradoxically, it is paced by many visitors as a playground, because of its appearance labyrinthine conducive to fun. For the German government, the choice of this specific space in Berlin comes to mean official recognition of German historical responsibility. Within the debate also raises the question of the need for such monument in a memorial landscape already abundant. Today, the monument is, even though these questions have not found unanimous answer.