Bergen-Belsen Memorial Documentation Center

Almost 200 meters in length, the Bergen-Belsen Memorial Documentation Center is an extraordinary building. Resembling a concrete sculpture, it sits in the middle of the heath forest on the edge of the former concentration camp, jutting out just a few meters onto the site of what was the concentration camp without actually touching the ground, out of respect for its location. Right next to it, the stone path leads to the former camp. Visitors can walk along it through the length of the entire building without entering its rooms. Just a few openings in the structure offer carefully framed views of the wooded grounds. The particular function of the memorial, which commemorates the history of the concentration camp, is conveyed through the center’s unusual design and the radical use of only a few materials.

GFA: 4.900 m²
Competition: 02/2003, 1st prize
Awards: State of Lower Saxony Prize for Architecture 2008,
Lower Saxony BDA Prize 2009, Lower Saxony Museum Prize 2009