Monuments and Memorials

This master index includes some of the world's most iconic memorials, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Vietnam Memorial.

These powerful monuments and memorials honor victims of the September 11 terrorist attacks and mark the event for children too young to remember.

Architect Peter Eisenman stirred controversy when he unveiled plans for the Berlin Holocaust Memorial. Critics protest that the Memorial is too abstract and does not present historical information about the Nazi campaign against the Jews. Other people say that the Memorial resembles a vast field of nameless tombstones and captures the horror of the Nazi death camps.

Years in the making, the National 9/11 Memorial, also known as Reflecting Absence, honors those lost on September 11, 2001, and also those who died when terrorists bombed the New York Trade Center in 1993.

Learn the history and meaning of the Tomb of the Unknowns (the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier) at Arlington National Cemetery.

In nearly every part of the world, ancient peoples have constructed enormous monuments. What is "monumental architecture" and what role does it play in human civilization?