The National September 11 Memorial Museum has opened its doors to the public in New York.
Located at the spot that became known as Ground Zero following the terrorist attacks in 2001, it aims to honour the dead while at the same time presenting a history of the event that killed them.
A large number of artefacts are on display – from wrecked columns that once held the Twin Towers in place to personal possessions like shattered reading glasses.
Todd Fine, a visitor from Washington DC said: “The museum is emotionally overwhelming. I mean it’s explosions, people jumping out of buildings, it’s raw. It is part of our lives. I don’t know if I am even prepared to deal with it. I mean, you’re going to be crying in the museum. I cried on several occasions.”
To mark the public opening of the museum a US flag, which was hanging from a building near the World Trade Center on September 11 2001 and found in the days that followed the attack, was unfurled by members of the city’s police and fire departments.
