Date Visited: March 5, 2016
Location: Rotary Common Park , 315 Main Street , Nashua, NH
Hours: Open every day, 24 hours day
Parking: Parking is limited. There are about half a dozen spots in the lot for the memorial. There is ample parking across the street at the strip mall.
New Hampshire Holocaust Memorial
Dedicated on June 1, 2014, the New Hampshire Holocaust Memorial is a thought provoking exhibit located off busy Main St in Nashua, New Hampshire, next to the Rotary Common Park.
Designed by John Weidman, the memorial is a somber reminder to never forget. The memorial does not have any religious symbols nor does it represent one particular race, nation or religion. This was done purposefully. The intent is for everyone of any background to be able to empathize with the victims, regardless of your own beliefs or lack thereof. According to the website for the memorial, the design was inspired “by the belief that to empathize with those who endured the horrors of the Holocaust, one must – on some small level – experience a concentration camp itself.” The memorial accomplishes this.
The railroad track used for the memorial is an actual railroad track that was donated by PanAm Railway.
There are several benches and monuments scattered around the area with quotes, phrases and names of those who sacrificed so that others may live as well as reminders of the war on children and homosexuals. You may notice the rocks on top of some of the memorials.
It was early in the morning and there were a lot of shadows as it was a cloudless, sunny day. I did my best to avoid casting shadows.
The main part of the memorial are the six engraved granite walls that encircle a brick column with a black granite cube. Each of the walls has a name for the six concentration camps (Auschwitz, Sobibor, Treblinka, Majdanek, Belzec and Chelmno). Each of the granite walls have barbed wire and steel on them.
The black granite cube is meant to show that we are all connected through space and time while making us pause and reflect.
This is an important memorial and reminder, especially during these difficult times.
New England Nomad 