‘Unfolded minute’: a memorial in Bern for the Swiss victims of National Socialism
In April 2023 the Federal Council mandated the FDFA to establish a memorial for the victims of the Holocaust and of National Socialism whose fates were intertwined with Switzerland. The aim is to create a vibrant, interactive place of remembrance, learning and dialogue. The chosen location on the Casinoterrasse is intended as a reminder that decisions made in the nearby Federal Palace have far-reaching consequences for the lives of those affected.
Thanks to private initiatives more than 60 memorial sites have been built in Switzerland since the end of the Second World War in 1945. However, there has not been any national site to commemorate all of the victims of the Holocaust and of Nazi persecution whose fates were intertwined with our country. They included not only Jews, but also the Roma, Sinti and Yenish peoples, homosexuals, people with disabilities, and political opponents.
Swiss citizens living abroad in countries in which National Socialism and fascism were present were also persecuted. People who sought refuge in Switzerland were turned away at the border owing to the restrictive policy of the time. They now have their own dedicated memorial.
Not an isolated memorial site
The memorial site in Bern is designed to keep the memory of this period in history alive for those generations who will soon no longer be able to hear for themselves the voices of contemporary witnesses and survivors. It is a memorial for our era, marked by rising racism and antisemitism, and by attempts to downplay the Holocaust.
This memorial forms part of a national strategy, under which the Federal Council is also supporting the establishment of a future cross-border education centre in Diepoldsau, in the canton of St Gallen close to the Austrian border. A national network of memorial sites is also being developed with the support of the Federal Office of Culture. With this project, the Federal Council is fulfilling its core responsibility to defend human dignity, the rule of law and fundamental freedoms.
‘unfolded minute’
A competition jury selected the ‘unfolded minute’ memorial concept from among 11 proposals. The project combines a spatial intervention with sound, education and mediation elements.
The heart of the installation will be a metal ribbon of profiled black steel that runs along the retaining wall between the Bundesterrasse and Casinoterrasse and plays a unique sequence of sounds for one minute three times an hour. The site will be completed by a curved pavilion on the Casinoterrasse that provides a forum and space for dialogue and exchange.
The project is to be flanked by two screens that bring to life the history of Switzerland during the Second World War through the stories of individual lives and the historical context of National Socialism. Artistically, ‘unfolded minute’ comes across as a bold and contemporary work, and it stands out as an element of urban design thanks to its striking and original approach.
Links
Press release: Victims of National Socialism: presentation of memorial project in Bern
Documents
Contact
General Secretariat GS-FDFA
Federal Palace West
3003 Bern