[images and captions added by this website] Lea Rosh (right) fathered Berlin's Holocaust memorial project [Cracks in Jerry-built Holocaust memorial cause headache for Berlin] Widespread Cracking Found in Berlin's Holocaust Memorial By Josh Ward in Berlin A surprising number of cracks have been found in Berlin's 2-year-old memorial to Jewish victims of the Holocaust. Germans are asking what is to blame. AP IT WAS hailed as a design that could withstand attacks from neo-Nazis and even graffiti artists. But in the end, the memorial couldn't be protected from the materials used to build it ... or the weather. An estimated 400 cracks have appeared in the 2,711 concrete slabs of the 2-year-old Holocaust memorial in Berlin. The memorial, known as the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, is dedicated to the Jewish victims of the Nazi regime in World War II. It was designed by American architect Peter Eisenman (right) and erected by the firm Geithner Bau from 2003 to 2005 at a cost of €10.5 million ($14.5 million). "It's really not a surprise at all," said a spokesman for the Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, which oversees the memorial. "We already had it written up in the contract with the producer that this would probably happen." The cause of the cracking, which first appeared shortly after the memorial opened, is not known for sure, though it might be due to extreme temperature fluctuations in 2005 and 2006, according to the spokesman. "These things happen with concrete," he added. Though no firm causes have been named, German media has speculated that the cracks are due to tremors caused by construction projects adjacent to the site, including the new US Embassy, or even vibration caused by commuter trains that pass beneath the memorial. Costs for repairs have yet to be estimated, but they will be shared by the foundation and Geithner Bau, according to the spokesman. Repairs should begin and be completed this coming winter using injections of synthetic resin. 'A Purely Aesthetic Issue' The spokesman also added that the memorial will remain open and that there is no danger to visitors. "This is a purely aesthetic issue," he said. "Those slabs will stand for years." The memorial's concrete slabs reach up to 4.7 meters (15.4 feet) and average over eight tons in weight. They are arranged in a grid pattern in an area of over 13,000 square meters (3.5 acres) in a central location, one block away from the Brandenburg Gate. The monument attracts over 3 million visitors each year. In an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung, designer Eisenman played down design or construction flaws and attributed the cracking to the nature of concrete construction. "Whenever you build something that is going to sit out in the rain, in the sun and in the frost, sooner or later you're going to have problems, and especially in a climate like Berlin's," he told the newspaper. "Every construction has to be taken care of, repaired and mended. It's completely normal." Visitors to the memorial on Wednesday generally remained unworried, with some even backing Eisenman's reasoning. "It's to be expected," said Wilhelm Theisen, 63, a vacationer from Trier. "No concrete is going to last in these extreme conditions. We shouldn't be critical. We should just fix it." Others even found a silver lining in the development. "I don't find it that bad, really," said Angela Hiller, 44, from Springer, who came to show the memorial to her 12-year-old son. "It could also serve as a good symbol of the fall of morals and cultures. And it's good that a memorial can have a living function." Original worries about the memorial's construction focused on the possible effects of weathering, fading and graffiti. A controversy arose in 2003, when it was discovered that Degussa, the company which provided the anti-graffiti chemical coating for the slabs, had connections with the company that produced poison gas for the Nazis. Two years on, Berlin Holocaust memorial needs repair By Adam Williams | August 8, 2007 BERLIN (Reuters) - Just two years after it opened, cracks have appeared in the concrete slabs that make up Berlin's Holocaust memorial and repairs will have to be made, the memorial foundation said on Wednesday. Unveiled in 2005 after years of controversy, the monument to the European Jews killed in the Holocaust consists of 2,711 rectangular blocks of varying heights -- the tallest about 4.7 meters -- that form a grid pattern visitors can wander through. Cracks, often running the entire length of a slab and several centimeters deep, have appeared in about 400 of the charcoal-colored blocks. Two have been removed for examination by experts, but they have been unable work out the cause. "We are working together with the architect, Peter Eisenman, on a solution," said a spokesman for the memorial foundation. The repair work on the memorial, which cost €28 million ($38 million), will likely involve sealing the cracks with synthetic resin. "We'll try to find a way of making the cracks invisible." The company which made the slabs must foot the bill for the majority of the repair, the foundation said. But shallower cracks would have to be fixed at taxpayers' expense, they added. The monument, which sits in the heart of the government quarter between the Brandenburg Gate and the sealed off remains of Adolf Hitler's bunker, was the subject of fierce debate and took 17 years from inception to opening. Critics argued the design is too abstract and that it lies in too prominent a location. Others have attacked the decision to honor the Jews and exclude other victims of Nazi terror. But the memorial has become one of the most popular places to visit in Berlin. © Copyright 2007 Reuters    Jews angry over Lea Rosh's memorial tooth plan Provocative German Holocaust Denial Poster Removed Holocaust Memorial Campaign Aims to Shock Germany Der Spiegel: "Welches Plakat?" (Great Shakedown news Latest) Holocaust Memorial Donations Sought Holocaust Never Happened' ad prompts survivor's lawsuit   for further items search our website archive for "Lea Rosh"

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