Construction work on the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe is continuing: The production of the concrete stelae is going ahead as planned and building work on the Information Centre has started. Excavation work is nearly complete and the stelae foundations are being laid. Preparations for the paving of the field of stelae are also well under way. Only the application of an anti-graffiti substance manufactured by Degussa AG for coating the stelae has been put on hold until further notice. For this reason, delivery and erection of the stelae have been postponed for the time being.
Following an in-depth discussion on Thursday October 23 of this year, the Board of Trustees concluded that in view of the particular history of Degussa AG, use of the anti-graffiti product made by this company for the stelae is unacceptable given the specific nature of the Memorial project. Chaired by Bundestag President Wolfgang Thierse, the Board of Trustees therefore resolved to look without delay into the technical, legal and financial consequences of using another product or commissioning another company to protect the stelae against graffiti. As soon as clarification on these issues has been reached, the Board of Trustees will promptly make the necessary decisions.
