The gravestones of the Berlin Holocaust memorial are reportedly irreplaceable

Berlin - Approximately 400 cracked symbolic tombstones of the Berlin Holocaust Memorial are reportedly not going to be replaced. The architect of the two-year-old monument, Peter Eisenman, said this to the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. According to him, there is no crane that would be able to reach the concrete blocks in the middle of the field of concrete structures.
    The architect also warned against exaggerating the cracks, which are as thin as a hair. According to him, the situation is not such that "everything is crumbling here." The overall strength of the concrete steles is not compromised according to Uwe Neumärker, the head of the foundation managing the memorial.
    "When you build 2,700 tombstones, there will always be a few that are less good than the others... I don't want to downplay the issue, but I’m not surprised at all," said Eisenman, emphasizing that the thin cracks "in the least bit" do not threaten the entire work. When building with concrete, one never knows exactly when the material will age, whether the color will change, or if a rusty tint from the steel reinforcement will seep through, added the project author.
    Eisenman stated that his colleague, who is responsible for the technical side of the construction, has been to Berlin about this matter twice. "We are taking care of it," he assured, adding that they are seeking solutions in collaboration with relevant companies.
    On Tuesday, German media reported that approximately two years after the opening of the memorial near the Brandenburg Gate, cracks were discovered on 393 concrete blocks, or about one in six. The cracks are clearly visible due to limestone deposits. Experts propose sealing the cracks by injecting synthetic resin.
    The memorial was opened to the public on May 10, 2005. It consists of a "sea" of 2,711 steles on the surface and an information center about the Holocaust underground beneath them.