• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.98-114
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• 2017

This study analyzed the commemorative landscapes of eight Holocaust concentration camp memorials(HCCM) of Germany and Poland from a landscape architecture point of view including historical landscape, places and remains, and monuments. A site survey was conducted at Dahau concentration camp memorial(CCM) and Bergen-Belsen CCM of Germany in September of 2015 and the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp memorial(ECM), Majdanek ECM, Belzec ECM, Sobibor ECM, Treblinka ECM, Chelmno ECM of Poland in April of 2016. The results are as follows. First, the landscape of the concentration camp at Dahau CCM, Auschwitz ECM, and Majdanek ECM liberated by the Allied Forces was well conserved with the maintenance of camp facilities and the spatial structure of camps while monuments and memorials seized by sociopolitical argument were built with restriction. But Belzec ECM, Sobibor ECM, Treblinka ECM, and Chelmno ECM devastated and planted artificially to forest were overwhelmingly surrounded with natural landscape, and also, excavated relics and remains were preserved and the monuments were built at the place of memory. Second, gas chambers, crematoriums, guard posts, electric wire fences, railroads and ramps, barracks, and drainage ditches were considered to be typical facilities present in the camp structure and the gas chambers, crematoriums, human ashes, and mass graves demonstrated the horrible history of these camps and the railroad and ramp where Jewish prisoners arrived also had the strong sense of place. These remains were regarded as symbolic elements to create a memory of the tragedy and place. Third, commemoration of victims was applied as the basic concept and recalling the memory of the Holocaust was also considered very important content. Religious reconciliation and peace was represented at Dahau CCM and the Jewish identity was strongly expressed at Treblinka ECM and Belzec ECM representing the Jewish community and Judaism. Fourth, the monuments with semi-abstract styles and abstract sculptures represented the Holocaust symbolically and narratively and came into the conflict caused by the abstractness to the memorial landscape at Auschwitz-Birkenau ECM and Bergen-Belsen CCM. Fifth, remains for recalling the memory of tragedy and place and symbolic monuments to stand for public memory were juxtaposed at the same place and preserving on the authenticity of camp site had been conflicted with monumentalizing intentionally. Further study will required a concrete investigation of the monuments in the HCCM and an attempt to comparatively study the commemoration characteristics of memorials in Korea.