The 9/11 Memorial and Museum commemorates the victims of the attack on the Twin Towers on the 11th September 2001 along with those of the World Trade Center bombing in 1993, and is designed as a space for reflection and contemplation amidst the chaos and bustle of Lower Manhattan.
In the aftermath of the devastating events that took place at the World Trade Center, Ground Zero came to symbolise the emotional turmoil of survivors and grieving relatives. The authorities sought the best way to honour the lives lost and mark the effects on the national psyche of this unprecedented terrorist attack. The World Trade Center Site Memorial Competition was launched, and the winner, American architect Michael Arad conceived the site as it stands today, since its opening on the 10th anniversary of the attacks.
The exact spots where each of the Twin Towers once stood are marked by enormous reflecting pools featuring the largest manmade waterfalls in the United States, designed to evoke the loss of life and highlight the physical emptiness following the destruction of the towers. The names of each of the victims, totalling almost 3,000, are etched into the bronze parapets around the two pools, in such a way that at night, the light of the site shines up through each of the letters.
Memorial Plaza surrounds the site with 400 trees planted over two hectares. Nearby, one particular symbol of hope and strength is a pear tree, known as the Survivor Tree. Discovered badly burnt under the rubble of the Twin Towers, it has survived and flourished against all odds.
The National September 11 Memorial Museum is under construction beneath the Memorial Plaza. Bringing together the most poignant collection of artefacts gathered from the site alongside multimedia displays, and archives, it will provide visitors the opportunity to explore the impact and on-going significance of the events of 11th September 2001 when it opens in 2014.
Of the seven buildings planned for this site, One World Trade Center, or the Freedom Tower as it is known, will become the third-tallest building on its completion in 2013.
Admission is free to the 9/11 Memorial, but you will need to obtain a Visitor’s Pass from the official 9/11 Memorial website. Access is possible via both bus and Subway.
