Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
TOP SIGHT
JÜDISCHES MUSEUM
ARCHITECT: DANIEL LIBESKIND; IMAGE: IZZET KERIBAR/GETTTY IMAGES ©
In a landmark building by Daniel Libeskind, Berlin's Jewish Museum offers a chronicle of
the trials and triumphs from 2000 years of German history seen through the eyes of the Jew-
ish minority. The exhibit smoothly navigates all major periods, from the Middle Ages via
the Enlightenment to the community's current renaissance. Find out about Jewish cultural
contributions, holiday traditions, the difficult road to emancipation, outstanding individuals
(eg Moses Mendelssohn, Levi Strauss) and the fates of ordinary people and families.
The Building
Libeskind's architectural masterpiece (which he titled
Between the Lines
) is essentially a
3D metaphor for the tortured history of the Jewish people. Its zigzag outline symbolises a
broken Star of David; its silvery titanium-zinc walls are sharply angled, and instead of win-
dows there are only small gashes piercing the building's gleaming facade.
