Monument to the Negev Brigade

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The Monument to the Negev Brigade (Hebrew: אנדרטת חטיבת הנגב) is a monument designed by Dani Karavan in memory of the members of the Palmach Negev Brigade who fell defending Israel during the War of Independence. It is situated on a hill overlooking the city of Beersheba from the east and constitutes a recognized symbol of the Negev and Beersheba. In addition to its strengths as a memorial, it was a precursor to the land art movement.^[1]

The Monument was built between 1963 and 1968 in a time when Israel was making many physical memorials to those who fought and died in its wars.^[2] It is made of raw concrete consisting of 18 separate elements. These elements are symbolic and connected to Palmach and to the War of Independence. The perforated tower alludes to a watchtower shelled with gunfire and the pipeline tunnel is reminiscent of the channel of water in the Negev defended by the soldiers. Engraved in the concrete are the names of the soldiers who died in the war, the badge of the Palmach, diary passages from the soldiers, the battle registry, verses, and songs.

[edit] Notes

^ Klaus Honnef, Manfred Schneckenburger, Christiane Fricke, and Karl Ruhrberg. ART of the 20th Century. Taschen. 2000. Pg. 544.
^ Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs. CULTURE: Visual Arts. 1 Oct 2006 - accessed on 5 January 2007.