NAME:
Jewish Museum Berlin
(Judisches Museum Berlin)
LOCATION:
Berlin, Germany
ARCHITECT:
Daniel Libeskind
DATE OF CONSTRUCTION:
1989-2001
Building Functionality
PurposeOverall, the purpose can be summed up in preservation and education. The building aims to hold on to history and then show visitors this history, not just in a literal sense, but also by projecting the emotions felt during the Holocaust to the present.
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ProgramThe goal of the building is to create an almost interactive experience that immerses the visitor in both the horror and immense historical importance of the Holocaust. It aims to push the boundaries of a museum, also through its abnormal shape.
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UsersThe users of the building, most obviously, are the visitors to the museum. This will mostly include tourists and people who have some form of connection to the Holocaust; however, secondary users include the entire world as the museum affects the overall perception of this event.
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BUILDING EXTERIOR
Print Sources
Daniel Libeskind and The Contemporary Jewish Museum:
New Jewish Architecture from Berlin to San Francisco
This book focuses mainly on comparing the Jewish Museum Berlin, which was the first Jewish Museum that Daniel Libeskind designed, to the other more recent ones he has been the architect for. This gives an interesting perspective to the architectural elements of the Jewish Museum Berlin because it helps identify what Libeskind views as important in what carries over to other museums in different locations. Furthermore, because the book is written by Daniel Libeskind himself, the reader gets a firsthand view inside of his mind when he was designing the building to see all of the inspiration behind it and the reasons for every architectural decision he made as well as how it all plays into the final product that is intended to evoke these intense emotions.
Libeskind, Daniel, et al. Daniel Libeskind and the Contemporary Jewish Museum: New Jewish Architecture from Berlin to San Francisco. Skira, 2009.
Libeskind, Daniel, et al. Daniel Libeskind and the Contemporary Jewish Museum: New Jewish Architecture from Berlin to San Francisco. Skira, 2009.
Daniel Libeskind: Jewish Museum Berlin: Between the Lines
This book acts as a guide to the architecture of the Jewish Museum Berlin, and therefore is helpful at providing insight into the strange, seemingly mismatched structures that compose the museum, each with their own purpose. Furthermore it looks at all of the discussion that surrounded the Jewish Museum Berlin, from the historic significance of building the museum in Germany after the Holocaust to the lightning bolt structure that caused many to reexamine their views on architecture. The book also greatly discusses the philosophy behind the museum and highlights some of Daniel Libeskind's decisions when designing the museum.
Schneider, Bernhard, et al. Daniel Libeskind: Jewish Museum Berlin: between the Lines. Prestel, 2007.
Schneider, Bernhard, et al. Daniel Libeskind: Jewish Museum Berlin: between the Lines. Prestel, 2007.