“This memorial makes it quite clear that we have not suppressed or forgotten the crimes perpetrated against the Sinti and the Roma, but that we wish to commemorate the victims with the dignity they deserve. This memorial should not only be a reminder of past ills though, it should be seen as an urgent call to take a stand against the discrimination suffered by Sinti and Roma in future too, and to work tirelessly for human rights, tolerance and the protection of minorities – here in Germany and beyond our borders.”

The Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media went on to stress that, “In Germany’s culture of remembrance this memorial is an important element, which documents the fact that the genocide suffered by the Sinti and Roma is part of this country’s history and memory. We dedicate this memorial to the many hundreds of thousands of Sinti and Roma, who were persecuted as “gypsies” by the Nazi regime, as well as the Yenish and other travellers, who became victims of the National Socialists. Dani Karavan’s design has produced a work of art as forceful as it is sensitive, a great work of remembrance of the past and warning for the future.“

The official opening of the memorial to the public was attended by Federal President Joachim Gauck, Bundestag President Norbert Lammert, Chancellor Angela Merkel and Federal Government Commissioner Bernd Neumann.

The idea of erecting a national monument in remembrance of the European Sinti and Roma killed under National Socialism dates back to 1992.  In 1996 the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma proposed commissioning the internationally renowned Israeli artist Dani Karavan to design the memorial. In 1999, when it decided to erect a memorial to the European Jews murdered under National Socialism, the German Bundestag reaffirmed Germany’s obligation to commemorate other groups of victims with appropriate dignity.

In 2005 the federal government and the government of Berlin agreed that the memorial should be erected opposite the Reichstag building. Discussions among associations of victims about the commemorative text then led to a major delay. To get the commemorative project back on track, the chronology of the genocide perpetrated against the Sinti and Roma was drawn up with associations of victims and historians, in a process facilitated by Bernd Neumann. This was then made an integral part of the memorial. The overall concept was approved by both chambers of the German parliament, the Bundesrat and the German Bundestag. A ceremony was held to lay the foundation stone in December 2008, after which the technically complex memorial could be completed.

The German government has put up some 2.8 million euros for the construction of the memorial. The state of Berlin provided the site. The memorial is to be managed by the Federal Foundation Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe.