Work begins on Berlin Holocaust memorial

An excavator breaks into the ground during the symbolic start of the construction works

By Rob Broomby in Berlin

Work has begun in central Berlin on a massive Holocaust memorial, almost 2,000 square metres in size.

A large digger has started the process of turning this huge plot of land into a monument to the six million Jews of Europe killed by the Nazis.

The site is the size of four football pitches

The $22m scheme, located just a few hundred metres from the Brandenburg Gate - the symbol of German nationhood - is an enormous gesture of national remorse.

The location between the symbolic gate and the bunker where Adolph Hitler died is as important as the design itself.

Controversial project

The idea for a monument predates the fall of the Berlin Wall, though the plot of land was not set aside until 1993.

Initial plans for a huge iron plate, measuring 100 metres by 100 metres, and bearing the names of some four-and-a- half million Jews, was vetoed by the then chancellor, Helmut Kohl.

A model of how the Berlin memorial will look. Picture: Foundation for the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe

The present design, with its 2,700 concrete pillars of differing heights, was described by the architect, Peter Eisenman, as a waving cornfield.

It it is set just below street level.

The Bundestag president, Wolfgang Thierse, said the beginning of construction work showed an assertion of German's historical responsibility.

The memorial is expected to be completed by 27 January 2004 - the 59th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz.