The Planning
After the attacks of September 11, 2001, an anonymous competition was announced in 2003, in which over 5000 applicants from around the world participated. The submitted projects were to consider and honor each victim of the attacks in New York City, Washington, and Pennsylvania by name. There also had to be enough retreat spaces and a resting place for the unidentified victims. Additionally, a requirement was that the ground plan of the future monument should represent the two towers. A jury selected the design 'Reflecting Absence,' a collaboration between architect Michael Arad and landscape architect Peter Walker, both U.S. citizens.The Memorial
The 9/11 Memorial is not the first that was built here as a monument. In 1993, a water basin that was constructed for the victims of the World Trade Center bombing was destroyed in the attacks on September 11th. The new memorial is intended to provide hope and to be a symbol that life goes on, even after such a tragic event. The new monument consists of 3 levels: the Plaza Level, the Memorial Hall Level, and the Bedrock Level. On the Plaza Level, there is the spacious Memorial Park, where the two memorial pools (North and South Pool) are also visible, representing the two collapsed towers. Standing in front of them, one looks down into water basins that are 30 feet (9m) deep, which catch the cascading water and convey a sense of emptiness. Around the basins are the engraved names of the 2983 victims, sorted according to their relationships with other victims and their locations. Often, white roses in memory of the deceased are placed in the engravings. Between the two pools are the entrance and the top floor of the 9/11 Museum, which is mostly underground.
The fire truck of Ladder Company 3 | Photo: Flickr, bryan.. - CC-BY-SA 2.0The Museum
In the associated museum of the 9/11 Memorial, you will read personal stories from countless victims. Images and videos of the tragic event illustrate the terrible incidents. Below the surface of the earth, there is a system of tunnels and corridors spanning 33,000ft² (10,000m²) that bring the past closer to visitors. The spaces The Ramp, Before 9/11, After 9/11 and Impact Steel have also been created. In addition, the museum contains a large number of exhibits, including remains such as the television tower and the fire truck from Ladder Company 3, as well as personal items of the victims.
The art installation made of mosaics | Photo: Flickr, Eric Salard - CC-BY-SA 2.0The Memorial Hall
Passing by the two 'tridents' from the original World Trade Center, you descend the stairs to the Memorial Hall of the museum. Alongside run the 'Survivor Stairs,' a staircase that led hundreds of people out of the World Trade Center during the attack and remained intact after the collapse. Once downstairs, you will see a huge art installation made of mosaics that makes an impression with the words 'No day shall erase you from the memory of time' by Virgil. Behind this wall is the memorial room, which can only be entered by relatives of the victims, as well as the catacombs of the unnamed victims.The Bedrock Level
After passing the Memorial Center, you reach the Foundation Hall, where part of the original flood wall of the World Trade Center is staged. Also present is the symbolically last remaining beam, on which messages of mourners can be found. From here, it goes down even further, namely 75ft (23m) beneath the surface to the Bedrock, where the foundation of the original Twin Towers is exhibited.Symbols on the surface
After the collapse of the two buildings, the recovery and cleanup operations began, which were massively complicated by the fire that lasted 100 days. In honor of those helping at the time and the bereaved who became sick, injured, or died during the recovery work, the Memorial Glade, a passage with layered stones, was erected.
A tree that was discovered under the rubble, which now has its place in the Memorial Park as the Survivor Tree.
Finally, standing on a raised level is the former centerpiece of the World Trade Center Plaza, The Sphere, a massive bronze sculpture that towers over the site. This artwork, also known as The Great Spherical Caryatid N.Y., by the German sculptor Fritz Koenig, stood from 1971 until the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001, between the Twin Towers in front of the World Trade Center in New York City. The artifact, weighing more than 20 tons, was recovered from the rubble of the collapsed Twin Towers as the only art piece that was damaged but largely intact.