Berlin to repair Holocaust site

Officials say the slabs are not in danger of falling down

Cracks have appeared in 393 of the 2,711 concrete slabs that form the Holocaust memorial in central Berlin.

Memorial director Uwe Neumaerker said synthetic resin would need to be used to fill the fissures and prevent water from penetrating the slabs in winter.

He said the cracks were not affecting the stability of the slabs.

The memorial, designed by US architect Peter Eisenman, was opened in May 2005. It honours the millions of Jews murdered by the Nazis in World War II.

The labyrinth of slabs stands near the famous Brandenburg Gate.

The repair work is scheduled to be carried out in the autumn, but the monument will remain open to visitors during the repairs, Berlin officials say.

It is not yet clear what caused the cracks, but Mr Neumaerker said sharp temperature fluctuations might be to blame.

The firm that erected the memorial, Geithner Bau, will carry out the repairs, at a cost estimated to be less than one million euros (£678,000; $1.4m).

The memorial, which cost 10.5m euros to build, is visited by about three million people annually.