Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial
On Gingerguide's self-guided Vienna audio tour, Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial is a stop worth about ~30 min. Stand in front of it, press play for a short narrated story, and put any follow-up question to the built-in AI guide.
- Type monument
- Suggested visit ~30 min
- Vienna Vienna guide
About Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial
Rachel Whiteread's stark cast-concrete “Nameless Library”, unveiled in 2000, commemorates the roughly 65,000 Austrian Jews murdered in the Shoah, above the excavated foundations of a medieval synagogue.
The Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial, designed by the British artist Rachel Whiteread and unveiled on 25 October 2000, commemorates the roughly 65,000 Austrian Jews murdered in the Shoah. Whiteread won the design competition in 1996, following an initiative by the Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal. The memorial takes the form of a cast concrete library turned inside out: its outer walls are rows of identical books whose spines face inward, so no title is legible, and its cast doors have no handles and cannot open. The names of the Nazi camps where Austrian Jews were killed are inscribed around its base.
The square itself was the centre of medieval Jewish Vienna. Beneath it lie the excavated foundations of a synagogue destroyed during the Vienna Gesera of 1420 to 1421, now preserved and displayed in the adjacent Museum Judenplatz, a branch of the Jewish Museum Vienna.
How much time do you need at Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial?
Around ~30 min works well for Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial — time to look properly and listen to its story on the spot. Linger if you like; nothing on a self-guided walk is on a clock.
Should you stop at Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial?
Yes — Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial made the cut as one of 35 places the Gingerguide team researched and narrated across Vienna. The story tells you why it is worth the stop, and the AI guide fills in anything you still wonder.
Nearby stops in Vienna
Sources and further reading
Where to check the facts about Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial and read more:
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Hear the story of Judenplatz Holocaust Memorial
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