United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Both grim summation of human nature and fierce confirmation of basic goodness, the Holocaust Museum is unlike any other museum in Washington, DC. In remembering the millions murdered by the Nazis, it is brutal, direct and impassioned. Visitors are given the identity card of a single Holocaust victim, narrowing the scope of suffering to the individual level while paying thorough, overarching tribute to its powerful subject. Many visitors leave in tears, and few are unmoved. James Ingo Freed designed the extraordinary building in 1993 and its stark facade and steel-and-glass interior echo the death camps themselves.

Apart from the permanent exhibits, the candlelit Hall of Remembrance is a sanctuary for quiet reflection; the Wexner Learning Center offers text archives, photographs, films and oral testimony available on touch-screen computers. The museum is also a major advocate against, and information clearing house on, ongoing genocides. If you have young children, there is a gentler kids’ installation, Remember the Children, on the 1st floor. Same-day passes to view the permanent exhibit are required March to August, available at the pass desk on the 1st floor.

The passes allow entrance at a designated time (arrive early because they do run out). Alternatively, for a small surcharge, tickets are available in advance at www.tickets.com or by phoning 800-400-9373.

Tragically, an African American guard was murdered here by a white supremacist in 2009. Security has been tightened and the staff of the museum seem, if anything, more dedicated to their mission as a result of the attack.