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Truly one of the most devastating events of mankind, we need to see and constantly be reminded of the Holocaust, so that horror is never repeated.
Of course, everyone knows the story of Anne Frank. I have visited the museum dedicated to her memory in Amsterdam and have also visited the Holocaust museum in Washington D.C. I have also read many books on the subject and plan to visit some of the former concentration camps during my future travels. It is heartbreaking to realize how many perished during this time and the terror they must have faced, but education is important so that we have understanding and compassion for what transpired during that time.
As I was researching items of interest in Milan, I stumbled upon a museum which is relatively unknown to most tourists even though it is located a short distance from Central Station, the point of entry and exit to the city for both tourists and locals.
During the war, when the Jews were being rounded up and transported to the concentration camps, Milan Central Station was the point of exit for many Italian Jews.
Not a point of exit for escape…
A point of exit to their new existence…that of one in Nazi concentration and extermination camps.
The platform, which is located, out of sight, in the area below the main level of Milan Central Station, is where prisoners departing from San Vittore prison were loaded onto cattle wagons and sent to their demise.
Today, this platform has been transformed into a place where visitors can come to remember and gain knowledge. It is a symbol of the deportation of all Jews and other persecuted people who left their homes and cities in the same manner, never to return.
Entering the museum, I discovered a very modern space dominated by a long wall in the center. The word Indifference is engraved here, representing the reason why this museum was possible. At the top of the ramp, I entered the third level where I began the actual museum experience.
Twenty-four parallel tracks run through the center of the museum, once the area created for postal wagons, and display the original cattle cars which were used to cram thousands of prisoners inside for their expulsion between 1943 and 1945.
An extremely sobering experience, you can walk inside and through the cars to the opposite platform. Once inside these claustrophobic spaces, however, it is rather frightful to think about being jammed into this small car, shoulder to shoulder, with no food, water or fresh air. Although I wanted to pay my respects to the small memorials set up in each of the cars, I had to constantly walk out to the platforms to gather my bearings.
Heading into the dimmed corridor, I contemplated the wall which displays the names of the 774 Jewish citizens who were deported from this station to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Highlighted are the twenty-seven names of those who survived deportation. There are also many posters on the wall which describe many of the victims.
On the far end of the tracks is a unique meditation chapel and there are enclosed spaces for visitors to watch videos of holocaust survivors’ stories, although, if your Italian is not up to par, you will not get much out of it as there are no subtitles.
While visiting Milan, you will likely pass through Central Station at some point of your stay. The museum is located a short walk around the eastern side of the museum’s entrance and doesn’t require a large amount of your time. Take an hour or so out of your day to be reminded not only of atrocities of mankind, but of the bravery and perseverance of those around us.
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Shoah Memorial
- http://www.memorialeshoah.it/memoriale-milano/
- Address: Ferrante Aporti Street, 3 – 20125 Milan
- Hours: Monday, 0930-1900, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 1000-1420. Guided tour without reservation, 1830.
- Admission: Adults, 10€, Students, children up to 5 years and over 65 years, 5€, group leaders, disabled, disabled companions, 0€
- Getting There: Metro, Centrale FS, Sondrio, Caiazzo. Train, Centrale FS.