Bethaniëndwarsstraat 6d 1012 CB Amsterdam
Notion of absence
Gedenkstätte Bergen Belsen, - mentioned
The most striking experience on the grounds of
Bergen-Belsen is one of absence. There are
hardly any physical remains left in the idyllic
surroundings that can help us to visualize and
comprehend its horrifying past. Yet - as we have
knowledge of this past - it is this very notion of
absence that is so powerfully confronting.
It is our belief that this notion of absence should
be emphasized in the design of the site. The
visitors gain knowledge at the exhibition, and
then enter the camp, to be left with this
beautiful yet disturbing landscape.
It is of essential importance to mark - on the site
- the border of the former camp. In order to do
so we projected a rampart along the exact
contour of it. It rises steeply from the
surroundings and has a gentle slope towards the
camp terrain.