Img. ID: 394592
The memorial, erected in 1993 is the second version of a monument first designed and created by Dutch artist Jan Wolkers in 1977. It is set in Wertheimpark and commemorates the large number of Dutch Jews who perished in World War II, mostly at the Auschwitz Death Camp.
The monument originated as a memorial stone in the municipal cemetery (Oosterbegraafplaats) in 1952. This was replaced in 1977 by the Mirror memorial. This was moved to the more public Wertheimpark in 1993, when Wolkers reworked the memorial to be larger.
Werheimpark was opened to the public in 1812 and is the oldest park in Amsterdam. The park is named after the Jewish banker and philanthropist A.C. Wertheim (1832-1897), who died in 1897. Wertheim is remembered with a monumental fountain built in 1898, also in the park.
Wolkers’ installation involves several large pieces of broken glass, which constantly reflect the sky overhead. Next to the installation, is an informational sign noting the demographic shift in the Dutch Jewish population because of the deportation and murder of Jews during the Holocaust. Each year on January 27, a memorial service is held at the monument marking the day the Russian army liberated Auschwitz.