A sky that will not resolve
The broken glass reflects the sky in a fracture that never heals.
Arthena — CC BY-SA 4.0 · FaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands — CC BY 2.0 · FaceMePLS from The Hague, The Netherlands — CC BY 2.0 · Ceescamel — CC BY-SA 4.0
A memorial to the victims of Auschwitz in Wertheimpark, designed by the writer and artist Jan Wolkers and installed in 1977. The work is simple in material and severe in idea: broken panes of glass set into the ground above an urn holding ashes from Auschwitz. The broken glass reflects the sky above it — but a fractured reflection that never resolves. Wolkers said the idea was that the sky itself cannot remain whole after what happened. The local context deepens the weight of the place. Amsterdam held a large Jewish community before the war, and around seventy-five per cent of the Netherlands' Jews were killed — among the highest proportions in western Europe, owing partly to the precision of Dutch population records, which the occupation used. The park is near the historic Jewish Quarter and the Jewish Museum.
The broken glass reflects the sky in a fracture that never heals.
The proportion of Dutch Jews killed — among western Europe's highest.
Annual commemorations are held here; quiet is asked, not eager photography.
Wertheimpark, the Jewish Quarter
Several causes intersect. The country was flat and densely populated, with no mountains or large forests to hide those in flight, and it was surrounded by occupied territory. The occupation there was a direct German civil administration rather than a military one. Most significantly, Dutch civil records were among the most precise in Europe and recorded religion, handing the occupation ready-made lists. The Dutch resistance fought this by burning registry offices, but late.
The Jewish Historical Museum and the great seventeenth-century Portuguese Synagogue — one of Europe's most important synagogues, still lit by candles. The Dutch Resistance Museum is nearby. The Anne Frank House is at the other end of the centre and needs booking well in advance. Give these sites at least half a day; it is an emotionally heavy visit that should not be squeezed between other appointments.
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