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Holocaust Memorial, Montevideo

Holocaust Memorial, Montevideo is an outdoor memorial dedicated to victims of the Holocaust. It is located at the junction of Rambla Presidente Wilson and Artigas Boulevard in Punta Carretas, Montevideo, on the shores of the River Plate in Uruguay. The memorial is around 120 metres long and is mostly made of pink granite, with a central window looking out at the sea. Its approach includes a pair of railway rails, and the central section features two wooden bridge crossings. The memorial also includes several inscribed stele, including one signed by Elie Wiesel. It was designed by Gastón Boero, Fernando Fabiano and Sylvia Perossio, with landscaping by Carlos Pellegrino, and opened in 1994.

A woman stands beside the Holocaust Memorial plaque, a large angled pink granite monument with engraved text, near a grassy waterfront.
The Holocaust Memorial in Montevideo features a large pink granite plaque set beside open grass and water.
December 2011 © · Public domain
Holocaust Memorial with light pink granite walls beside a rocky shoreline and water.
The Holocaust Memorial in Punta Carretas, Montevideo, seen beside the rocky shoreline.
June 2010 © · CC BY-SA 3.0
Graffiti-covered wall at the Holocaust Memorial in Uruguay beside a stone pillar with engraved text.
Graffiti covers a wall at the Holocaust Memorial in Uruguay, next to a stone pillar with engraved text.
October 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Graffiti on a stone wall at the Holocaust Memorial, with trees and streetlights visible above it.
Graffiti defaces a stone wall at the Holocaust Memorial, with a park and streetlights in the background.
October 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rusty rail tracks on a grassy slope near trees at the Holocaust Memorial in Montevideo.
Rusty rail tracks are set into the grass at the Holocaust Memorial in Montevideo, Uruguay.
August 2017 © · CC BY-SA 4.0

Identification

TitleHolocaust Memorial, Montevideo
TypeOutdoor memorial
Alternative nameMemorial to the Holocaust of the Jewish People
Italian translationMemoriale dell'Olocausto del popolo ebraico
Original nameMemorial del Holocausto del Pueblo Judío

Iconography and meaning

Dedicated toVictims of the Holocaust
Symbolic meaningThe wall represents the history of the Jewish people; the central opening alludes to the tragedy of the Holocaust

Location and ownership

LocationIntersection of Rambla Presidente Wilson and Artigas Boulevard, Punta Carretas, Montevideo, Uruguay
SettingOn the shores of the Río de la Plata
Opening date1994

Physical characteristics

StructureA 120-metre-long wall running along the rambla, parallel to the river
LengthAbout 120 metres

Materials

MaterialPink granite

Appearance

Central featureA central opening with a window overlooking the sea
Entrance featureA pair of railway tracks at the approach to the memorial
Middle section featureTwo wooden bridge crossings
InscriptionsSeveral inscribed stelae, including one signed by Elie Wiesel and three carved plaques with texts from the Bible and from thinkers of Jewish origin

Creator

DesignersGastón Boero, Fernando Fabiano, and Sylvia Perossio
Landscape designerCarlos Pellegrino

Historical context

Competition year1992
Competition resultFirst prize awarded to the Uruguayan architects Gastón Boero, Fernando Fabiano, and Sylvia Perossio
Commissioning bodyIntendencia de Montevideo

History and restoration

Heritage designationDeclared a National Historic Monument by the Ministry of Education and Culture
VandalismIn October 2017, the memorial was vandalized with graffiti from Holocaust denial groups
Security measureCameras were installed at the site after the 2017 vandalism
RenovationRenovated after several acts of antisemitic vandalism; the work included cleaning antisemitic graffiti and adding lights and staircases
Rededication dateJune 2016
Renovation fundingFunded by the Central Israelite Committee of Uruguay
Subsequent vandalismAbout a year after the renovation, the memorial was again vandalized with antisemitic slurs

Significance

International representationSelected to represent Uruguay at the 1995 World Architecture Biennale
Other exhibitionsExhibited at the Chile Biennale and at the Museum of Modern Art in New York
RecognitionSelected among the best Latin American works by the Mies van der Rohe Foundation of Barcelona in 1998