Holocaust monument can be built in Amsterdam, court rules

The construction of a Holocaust Monument of Names on Weesperstraat in Amsterdam can continue, the court in Amsterdam ruled on Tuesday. Local residents objected to the monument, complaining that it is too large and should rather be built somewhere else, but the court rejected these objections, RTL Nieuws reports. 

The memorial will contain the names of 102 thousand Jewish, Sinti and Romani people who were deported in the Second World War and who have no grave. The names will be shown on walls arranged in a maze-like formation. The monument was designed by Daniel Libeskind.

Local residents complained that the monument was too large for its chosen site, that visitors would cause inconvenience in the area, and that they were not sufficiently consulted on the construction of the monument. 

But the court ruled against them. According to the judge, the importance of the monument outweighs the objections of the local residents. In the design of the monument, sufficient attention was paid to safety and road safety. The sidewalk along the monument is wide enough and "there will be sufficient bicycle racks". There are enough open spaces and "sufficient measures are being taken to guarantee safety", the court said.