A BEAUTIFUL memorial to honour the victims of the Lindt cafe siege has been unveiled at Sydney’s Martin Place in an emotional ceremony attended by their families and the survivors.

More than 200 handcrafted flowers in mirrored cubes have been inlaid into the pavement just metres from where the deadly siege, which claimed the lives of cafe manager Tori Johnson and barrister Katrina Dawson, unfolded.

“No Australian will ever forget the heartbreaking events that unfolded at Martin Place three years ago, but none more so than the loved ones of Tori and Katrina — wonderful young Australians who were tragically killed by an act of evil and terror,” NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian told the audience, which included Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

media_camera A permanent memorial honouring the lives of Tori Johnson and Katrina Dawson is unveiled at Martin Place in Sydney’s CBD. Picture: AAP Image / Getty Images Pool / Jessica Hromas

media_camera The ‘beautiful’ tribute is made up of 210 individual boxes with handcrafted flowers embedded in the granite pavement. Picture: AAP Image / Getty Images Pool / Jessica Hromas

media_camera Ms Dawson’s daughter Chloe hugs her father Paul Smith during the unveiling of the memorial. Picture: AAP Image / Getty Images Pool / Jessica Hromas

Ms Dawson’s daughter Chloe Smith and niece Samantha Dawson presented aqua hydrangeas to widower Paul Smith, while local school student Jack Tighe presented a bouquet of sunflowers to Mr Johnson’s partner Thomas Zinn. The families, including the victims’ parents, then stepped up to view the floral tribute.

Soon, they were joined by many of the survivors and their supporters, who embraced each other after viewing the 210 floral cubes, which have been scattered over the city centre footpath in a starburst pattern.

Survivor Louisa Hope said the memorial, which will illuminate at night, was a fitting way to remember the lives lost.

“(It’s) a beautiful and a loving, fitting tribute to the two dear ones that we lost,” said the former hostage. “What’s important is that the families are happy.”

The tribute, designed by Professor Richard Johnson and artist Jess Dare, was inspired by the sea of flowers that blanketed Martin Place following the 17-hour stand-off.

media_camera The survivors of the Lindt cafe siege attended the unveiling just metres from where lone gunman Man Monis held them hostage for 17 hours. Picture: AAP Image/Joel Carrett

media_camera A boy from a local school gives a bunch of sunflowers to Mr Johnson’s partner Thomas Zinn. Picture: AAP Image / Getty Images Pool / Jessica Hromas

An estimated 110,000 bunches of flowers were placed at the site in the eight days after the siege.

Eighteen people were taken hostage by Man Haron Monis when he walked into the cafe on the morning of Monday, December 15, 2014.

Police stormed the cafe at 2am the following day when Monis executed Mr Johnson. Ms Dawson, a mother of three, was fatally wounded by police bullet fragments. Earlier this year, the results of a long-running inquest into the siege were handed down with NSW Coroner Michael Barnes finding that police waited 10 minutes too long in storming the premises.

Originally published as Heartbreaking memorial unveiled