The memorial uses original track infrastructure from the Nazi-era deportation site.
The first major deportation train from this platform departed for the Riga Ghetto on October 18, 1941.
The plates are made of cast steel, chosen specifically to weather and rust over time.
The memorial was designed by architects Nicolaus Hirsch, Wolfgang Lorch, and Andrea Wandel.
Unlike many memorials, this site is not enclosed, allowing the forest growth of Grunewald to integrate with the tracks.
The dates on the plates correspond to the official records of the deportations managed by the Nazi bureaucracy.
Platform 17 (Gleis 17) at Berlin-Grunewald station is a memorial site marking the location where approximately 50,000 Berlin Jews were deported by the Deutsche Reichsbahn during the Holocaust. The memorial consists of steel cast plates embedded into the original track bed, each engraved with the date, number of people deported, and the destination of a specific transport. These tracks remain largely overgrown with wild vegetation, physically separating the memorial from the active train lines. It was inaugurated on January 27, 1998, to coincide with the anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. The memorial stretches along the length of the platform, creating a linear path of remembrance. It serves as a direct site of historical testimony rather than a traditional museum structure. Visitors walk along the actual tracks that served as the departure point for forced relocation to ghettos and concentration camps. The site is maintained as an open-air memorial accessible to the public at all times.
From the elevated platform looking down the length of the rusted tracks towards the forest.
Bring comfortable walking shoes as the path involves gravel and uneven track surfaces.
Visit during daylight hours to fully read the inscriptions on the steel plates.
Allow time for silence and reflection, as the area remains a somber memorial site.
Treating the site as a casual hiking trail; remain on the designated pathways along the track bed.
Maintain a quiet, respectful tone; avoid loud conversation or disruptive behavior.
