Memorial to Victims of the Holocaust is open for visitation

As of January 19, the Memorial to the Victims of the Holocaust, located at Yitzhak Rabin Park in Botafogo, is open to the public of Rio de Janeiro. The project aims to preserve and make known the stories of the victims of the persecution and genocide undertaken by Nazism, which affected Jews, gypsies, black people, people with physical and mental disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, Jehovah's Witnesses, and Masons.

The Holocaust Memorial Cultural Association, in partnership with Rio's City Hall, has achieved the creation of a new cultural space in Rio de Janeiro, with Multiplan as its main supporter. The Institute for Development and Management (IDG) was responsible for the museographic implementation and curatorial conception. In addition to the exhibition, the space also offers a 360-degree view of the Sugar Loaf, Botafogo Cove and Christ the Redeemer statue.

The Holocaust is widely regarded as one of the most devastating genocides in history, having a profound impact on the world and resulting in migratory flows to all continents. Many of the world's major cities have museums, spaces or memorials dedicated to the theme as a way to remember the victims and to serve as a permanent reminder to humanity. In Brazil, Rio de Janeiro was one of the cities that received a significant number of refugees from this persecution.

In December 2020, the initial milestone of the project was achieved when the 20-meter-high obelisk, designed by architect André Orioli, was inaugurated at Mirante do Pasmado. Orioli had won a contest organized by Rio's City Hall in partnership with the Institute of Architects of Brazil in 1998.

The sculpture has an empty space where the biblical commandment "Thou shalt not kill" appears, emphasizing its essence. This emptiness can also be interpreted as the absence of various things: tolerance, respect, freedom, justice, a person, or a culture.

Two years later, in December 2022, the site gained another section to be visited, the museum where real stories of persecution, pain and overcoming are told. Located in the basement of the square, the exhibition presents visitors with memories and accounts of victims and survivors of the Holocaust in the format of videos, photos, sounds and interactive content. The immersive exhibit seeks to invite the public to gaze into the past and transform the future based on principles such as respect and tolerance.

Inside the building, it is in the "life center" space that the public has contact with the museum's content, in which letters form quotations and portraits of survivors. Words and images reinforcing the importance of life flow from the base of the monument - the iconic sculptural element of the building's architecture - to the end of the curved walls.

The exhibition is also sensory for the visitor. Divided into three large areas, the first module, which represents life before the Holocaust, shows images and videos of everyday actions in a colorful and relaxed way. Following the path, the second module, which represents life during the genocide, has as its theme ¨the resistance.¨ The space presents de-colorized audiovisual materials, with accounts and images from the time. The experience even allows visitors to have their skin tones and clothing colors changed through special lighting in the room. Finally, the third module shows life after the Holocaust. Here, the pictures begin to take on color again and the room's main focus is on liberation, immigration and reconstruction. In addition to testimonials from survivors, a map displays the migration flows and stories of people connected to Brazil, survivors who came here.

Visitation Information:

Address: Alameda Embaixador Sanchez Gavito, s/n - Mirante do Pasmado, Botafogo (Access from General Severiano Street).

Exhibition hours: Thursday-Sunday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (last entry at 5 p.m.)

Appropriate minimum age: 12 years old

Yitzhak Rabin Park hours: every day from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Tickets: free, from the Sympla website

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