The first phase of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum has opened to the public on the site of the 11 September 2001 terror attacks in New York, US.

The opening of the memorial coincided with the 10th anniversary of the attacks and the site includes the names of the nearly 3,000 victims inscribed on bronze panels lining two large pools.

Designed as a "walkround park", the site will feature waterfalls cascading down all four sides of each pool, creating a place for remembrance and reflection.

The surrounding plaza will be filled with oak trees and a callery pear known as the Survivor Tree, which was nursed back to health after surviving the 9/11 attacks.

The memorial forms the first phase of the US$350m project of the former World Trade Center site, spearheaded by the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation and the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC).

The second phase will see the opening of the 9/11 Museum, which is set to open to the public next year (2012).

The US$45m (£29m, €35m) Memorial Museum, designed by Davis Brody Bond architects, will cover 120,000sq ft (11,100sq m) and will be located beneath the meorial plaza.

The museum will include a number of exhibits, some which are haunting reminders of the strikes - such as the iconic, 36-foot steel column that was the only piece of the towers left standing.

The column was initially removed after a nine-month recovery effort in 2002, but has now been reinstated and covered in a weather-resistant coating.

The museum will also provide a view of the remainder of the slurry wall and the foundations of the original towers.