Here Are Some Of The Poignant Artifacts On Display At The New 9/11 Memorial Museum

The 9/11 Memorial Museum in New York held its ceremonial opening today, and guests including President Obama, New York City mayor De Blasio, and former mayor Rudy Giuliani spoke to commemorate the ground zero exhibit.

The new, underground museum will honor the heroes, remember the victims, and preserve the history of the 9/11 attacks through multimedia displays, personal narratives, and thousands of monumental and personal artifacts.

The space includes two main exhibitions: the memorial, called "In Memoriam," and a three-part historical exhibition that shows the events of September 11th, what led to the attacks, and their aftermath.

For the next five days, its doors will be open 24 hours a day for 9/11 families, rescue workers, responders, survivors, and local residents.

The 110,000-square-foot exhibition by architect David Brody Bond was completed May 14th and officially opens to the public May 21st.

Here are some poignant artifacts inside.

The Museum's entry pavilion, which includes two steel "tridents" from the towers, was designed by the international Snøhetta company.

The Foundation Hall includes the "Last Column." The 58-ton, 36-foot tall piece of steel was signed by recovery workers, first responders, volunteers and victims' relatives. The "Slurry" wall was part of the World Trade Center's original foundation, and was built to keep the Hudson River from flooding the site.On September 11th, these 'Survivors' Stairs' as well as an adjacent escalator provided an unobstructed exit for hundreds seeking to escape.

Reuters

This quote from Virgil's "Aeneid" sits in Memorial Hall. The letters were crafted out of World Trade Center steel by New Mexico blacksmith Tom Joyce. Its meaning has been widely debated.

Jin Lee

The front of this fire truck was broken off when the North Tower collapsed. All 11 members of FDNY Ladder Company 3 who responded to the 9:21 a.m. call and reached the 35th floor were killed when the tower collapsed.

Jin Lee

The owner of Chelsea Jeans, a nearby retail store, maintained the dust and debris that covered his shop from the collapsed Twin Towers.These projections on remnant steel, called "Recovery At Ground Zero," highlight the experiences of workers at the recovery site through personal accounts and film footage. Recovered handwritten notes and other documents that flew from the towers are on display.

Jin Lee

This column from the South Tower folded over onto itself during the collapse. Visitors can write messages on the interactive tables located in front of it, which will then be projected onto the wall.