Kulturzentrum Deutscher Sinti und Roma (Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma), Heidelberg

The Documentation and Cultural Centre of German Sinti and Roma was established in Heidelberg in the early 1990s as a memorial to the Sinti and Roma people who were killed by the National Socialist Party. After several years of gathering victim stories, conducting research, and renovating the building complex, it was ceremonially opened to the public in 1997, attended by many Roma and Sinti survivors. It is the world's first permanent exhibition on the genocide perpetrated against the Sinti and Roma by the Nazis.

The Centre spans three levels and covers an area of almost 700 square meters. The first level of the exhibition showcases the everyday lives of the minority, while the second floor highlights the persecution apparatus and terror. East German architect Dieter Quast deliberately designed this separation both spatially and within the exhibition itself. This design creates a constant tension, challenging visitors to reflect critically on the documents produced by the perpetrators and urging them to show empathetic understanding for the victims.

The three sections of the rebuilt historic building are constructed around an east-facing courtyard. On the south side, a new section was added above the historic cellar vault to serve as a foyer and main entrance to the exhibition (below this are several presentation and lecture halls). The second section is an 18th-century warehouse that was adapted for the documentary exhibition. Moreover, the warehouse's attic has been retrofitted to serve as a memorial walkway through the final section of the exhibition. The high mansard roof and continuous dormer windows give the middle section of this former warehouse an air of importance. The northern section, originally built around 1900, once housed the "Zum Faulen Pelz" theater and restaurant. It was converted into the administration office for both the Documentation and Cultural Centre and the Central Council of German Sinti and Roma.