United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, museum in Washington, D.C., dedicated to presenting the history of the persecution and murder of six million Jews and millions of other victims of Nazi tyranny from 1933 to 1945. It was established in 1980 by the Congress of the United States and opened in 1993. This federal museum was built with private donations.

The museum building was designed by architect James I. Freed, who, as a child, escaped Nazi persecution and emigrated with his family from Germany to the United States. His design reflects architectural elements of Nazi concentration camps. The museum's primary attraction is the permanent exhibition. It covers 3344 sq m (36,000 sq ft) and tells the story of the Holocaust using artifacts, oral histories, documentary films, and photographs that depict the state-sponsored slaughter by Nazi Germany (see National Socialism) of Jews, Roma (Gypsies), Poles, homosexuals, the handicapped, Jehovah's Witnesses, political and religious dissidents, and Soviet prisoners of war. At the end of the permanent exhibition, visitors may enter the Hall of Remembrance, a 557-sq-m (6000-sq-ft) space, which is the official national memorial to those killed in the Holocaust.

A special exhibition, Daniel's Story: Remember the Children, is designed for children ages 8 and over. Other museum features include the Children's Wall, commemorating the 1.5 million children killed in the Holocaust; and the museum's central atrium, the Hall of Witness.

Other facilities include a second special exhibition space; the Helena Rubenstein auditorium and the Joseph and Rebecca Meyerhoff theater; the Wexner Learning Center, an interactive computer-based learning facility that allows visitors to access information not available in the permanent exhibition; and a cafe in an adjoining building. The Holocaust Research Institute includes a library and archive. The Gonda Education Center includes three classrooms and an education resource center for teachers. The museum sponsors a variety of public programs, including cultural events, film screenings, and lectures.

Reviewed by: United States Holocaust Memorial Museum