Jewish Museum Berlin,
designed by Daniel Libeskind
In June 1989, Daniel Libeskind, an architect of Polish-Jewish descent born in Lodz, won the competition to design the new wing of the Jewish Museum in Berlin. The concept of the winning design is based on zigzag lines intertwining, which earned the building the name "Blitz" (from German: lightning). Ten years later, in January 1999, the first visitors were able to see the building. The building was officially opened in September 2001.
Jewish Museum in Berlin - bird's eye view of the zigzag shape of the building
photo by Guenter Schneider © Studio Daniel Libeskind
the three pillars of the architect 's concept
Libeskind's design, created a year before the fall of the Berlin Wall, was based on three key assumptions. The first thesis is that Berlin's history cannot be fully understood without taking into account the enormous contribution made to it by its Jewish inhabitants. The second assumption is that the significance of the Holocaust must be inscribed in the city's consciousness and memory. The third, on the other hand, is the conviction that it is essential for the future of Berlin and Germany to recognize the erasure of Jewish life from their history.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin - on the left, the building built by Philipp Gerlach in 1735, on the right, the Libeskind wing
Photo: Hufton+Crow © Studio Daniel Libeskind
The work was conceived as a museum for all Berliners, for all of society. Not only for those who live today, but also for future generations, who can find their heritage and hope in this special place
- says Daniel Libeskind, architect of the project.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin - conceptual drawing
drawing by Daniel Libeskind © Studio Daniel Libeskind
symbolism of the museum
and historical references
The resulting building covers about 15,000 square meters of space. From a bird's eye view, its shape resembles a broken, zigzag line. The facade, made of reflective zinc sheeting, has narrow, haphazardly spaced windows that resemble shooting holes. The window slits, which appear in the exterior wall, form an abstract line connecting the historic residences of prominent members of the Jewish and German communities in Berlin before World War II, such as Heinrich von Kleist, Arnold Schönberg and Walter Benjamin.
Berlin Jewish Museum - the zinc facade has numerous window slits
Photo: Hufton+Crow © Studio Daniel Libeskind
spatial disorientation
- architecture that introduces a state of uncertainty
The main body of the museum does not have a traditional ground-level entrance. You can only get inside the building through the Kollegienhaus, a part of the museum built by Philipp Gerlach in 1735. Going inside, one uses a long underground passage leading to a black staircase decorated with sharp spikes. The facade is designed in a way that makes it impossible to tell how many floors are inside, or even if there are any floors at all.
Berlin Jewish Museum - entry inside the Libeskind wing is only possible through the Kollegienhaus
Photo: Hufton+Crow © Studio Daniel Libeskind
Even after crossing the threshold of the new edifice, visitors lose their sense of balance. The austere concrete walls, lack of decoration and sloping floor make moving around require extra effort from the very beginning. These elements reinforce the experience of uncertainty among visitors.
Jewish Museum Berlin - longitudinal and cross section of the building.
© Studio Daniel Libeskind
"voids" as a symbol of loss
There are vertical spaces in the building's structure, referred to as "voids" (voids). There are five of them and they run the entire height of the building. Their walls are made of raw concrete, and the interiors remain unlit, unconditioned and unheated, which emphasizes their austere and minimalist character. These spaces symbolize what was lost during the Holocaust.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin - the "voids" were made of raw concrete, emphasizing their austere and minimalist character
Photo: Hufton+Crow © Studio Daniel Libeskind
expulsion garden reminiscent of
expatriate experience
Next to the building is the so-called expulsion garden, which contains 48 concrete pillars filled with soil from Israel, referring to 1948, when Israel gained independence. In the center of the garden is one pillar filled with earth from Jerusalem, meant to symbolize Berlin. The garden is sloped at a 12-degree angle to create a sense of disorientation for visitors, reminiscent of the experience of expatriates leaving Berlin. Olive trees growing from concrete pillars are meant to be a symbol of hope.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin - the so-called garden of expulsion
Photo: Hufton+Crow © Studio Daniel Libeskind
Project successes and awards
by Daniel Libeskind
The design of the Jewish Museum in Berlin by Daniel Libeskind gained recognition already in the first years after its realization. In 1998, it was awarded the title "Best of 1998" by Art Forum International. Then, in 1999, it won the German Architecture Prize, which confirmed its importance in the context of contemporary architecture. In 2010, the project was awarded the Buber-Rosenzweig Medal by the German Coordinating Council of Societies for Christian-Jewish Cooperation (DKR), recognizing the building's contribution to intercultural dialogue and the memory of history.
The Jewish Museum in Berlin
Photo: Hufton+Crow © Studio Daniel Libeskind
The Jewish Museum in Berlin is not only an important piece of contemporary architecture, but also a personal story from the architect himself. Born in Lodz, Poland, in 1946, Libeskind, who went through the experience of emigration as a child, struggled for many years with the memory of his family's past, which was affected by the tragic events of the Holocaust. The museum's design is deeply connected to his own story, combining elements of personal experience with an overall message about memory and identity. In addition to its role in the Berlin space, the work thus becomes an expression of an attempt to confront the past, and its architecture speaks of a lost heritage and hope for the future.
Elaborated: Anastazja Dżupina
Illustrations provided courtesy of Studio Libeskind.
