How to plan for a Sachsenhausen Memorial Museum Tour
Community political detainees originally served as the core purpose of building the Museum and Memorial Sachsenhausen. The camp started holding familiar Jews together with intellectuals and gypsies and homosexuals when its purpose continued expanding. The public can visit original structures from the camp complex that maintain their historical layout. Multiple prisoner barracks together with the pathology laboratory which Nazi doctors used to experiment on inmates continue to exist today.
Before visiting the Memorial
Young people must establish basic understanding about Nazi history including its intolerant and deadly actions before understanding the educational aspects of this challenging site. Existing knowledge serves as the basis to handle new information, respond to emotions and pose historical questions.
Visitors should have free choice regarding participation at the site. Young individuals should have the freedom to decide if they want to bring others to the Memorial. Students should refrain from visiting the Memorial unless they have completed thorough studies of National Socialism in Sekundarstufe II or have received related education in ninth grade or tenth grade (Financial Year 6). Several books describe the Soviet Special Camp history and Concentration Camp development together with survivor memoirs.
Before visiting the Memorial visitors generally carry specific expectations with them. The historical items from the concentration camp period need special differentiation from the development into a Memorial museum through classroom-led pre-visit discussions which outline Memorial purpose and functions.
At this location you can find both burial facilities and district for commemoration. Apart from its memorial functions the site doubles as an educational facility. Young people should not face unreasonable pressure regarding their emotions or conduct at the Sachsenhausen Memorial. Various exhibits in Sachsenhausen allow visitors to view facilities including prisoner barracks together with prison and commandant headquarters and kitchen areas.
Entering Sachsenhausen without fee is possible but a guided tour provides extended information about Nazi Germany’s historical background. The visitor achieves greater knowledge regarding the histories of prisoners incarcerated at the camp facility. The sombre memorial site receives departure tours from Berlin with options available for both private and small-group excursions and individualised tours.
Upon leaving the Memorial
The group will gain advantages by discussing their altered understanding of the Memorial following the site exploration. Photos and classroom presentations made from your visit will help establish meaningful dialogue about its meaning. Groups gain deeper learning possibilities through open communication since it allows students to ask follow-up questions that become classroom discussions.
Three different methods for processing your visit are journaling and contributor work to your school’s website or creation for wall newspapers. Students performing archival research about Nazi activities in their school buildings and community spaces would enhance historical understanding of both academic topics and individual surroundings. History indicates the existence of either labor camps established by Nazi forces or satellite concentration camps in this particular region.
Sachsenhausen Museum and Memorial
The Nazi administration managed one of its most brutal facilities for imprisonment at Memorial & Museum Sachsenhausen which remains near Berlin to this day. The Memorial functions as a tribute to all those who passed away at the site but it has evolved into a museum and an outdoor exhibits center which welcomes visitors through its library and archive space.
Things to Consider Before Going
Drive comfortable footwear while exploring the facility and give approximately two hours to visit the entire exhibit area.
Respect is essential at this somber memorial since it demands visitors to focus their emotions.
Most areas comprising Sachsenhausen facility provide access for wheelchair users.
Getting There
Viewing Sachsenhausen requires travelers to reach Oranienburg which lies around 40 minutes from Berlin by car and an hour by train. The journey to Sachsenhausen Memorial begins at central Berlin by taking the underground S-Bahn to Oranienburg then continuing either by a twenty-minute walk or bus 804 towards the memorial site.
History of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
Prisoners built this facility during summer 1936 because Nazi SS officials used it to learn administration skills and then moved on to supervise other concentration camps. Around 65,000 male and female prisoners were interned at Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg in January 1945 as the Allies would soon liberate this camp in April when 105,000 individuals lost their lives during World War II.
Time to Arrive
The Sachsenhausen Memorial is accessible all year long. If you intend to visit the site during the winter, wear appropriate clothing because it is often outdoors. The monument and outdoor exhibitions are open daily, whereas the library and archive are only open from Tuesday through Friday.
Making a trip to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museums
The Sachsenhausen memorial site is a sizable location with several museums and educational facilities.
You should plan to spend two to three hours here, even if you merely focus on the main attractions and read a few of the informational panels.
The information at Sachsenhausen is available in German and English, and visitors’ centres also include information in other languages, so seeing the site involves a lot of walking and reading.
The amount of available material and the topic matter are both too much to take in during a single visit. The exhibitions and informational panels thoroughly explain the brutality, crimes, and atrocities committed at Sachsenhausen and the system of concentration camps. A summary of what visitors might view is given below, along with a suggestion of where they’ll likely locate the more compelling exhibits.
TIP: If you’re pressed for time, prioritize visiting the Station Z area and the exhibition in the former kitchen. The camp entrance is quite a distance away and can be reached by purchasing a map at the visitor centre. Along the way, there are several informational panels. The SS Troop Home (green) and the camp commandant’s house (gray) are often closed.
The Sachsenhausen Memorial Site hosts exhibitions.
Prior to the camp proper entrance the New Museum does not attract much attention from visiting foreign audiences. A remarkable stained glass window from the time period of DDR stands right before entrance. A substantial part of the display focuses on the management of the site between 1960 through 1990. The majority of visitors would select different exhibitions at the camp instead of viewing this specific location.
Visitors access the previous facility from the Arbeitszeleist Gesetzt Frei (Work Makes Free) entrance situated in the central protective building. People visiting this location can see most sections inside the previous camp complex. The central position of the triple-sided structure did not provide enough control to manage the entire camp after new changes were implemented into the camp design.
From the central command tower visitors could see both the gallows setup behind and the right-hand portion of the boots testing track in front of the roll call area (Appellplatz). The prisoners were ordered to perform exhausting marches through the entire day while boot manufacturers tested their new products in this area.
The foundations of former barracks stand out with white lines while the majority of structures are created as copies. Thus the East German dictatorship initiated construction of their historical memorial at this location in 1961 yet they performed only limited site preservation.
A security system rebuild occurred near the wall in 1961. The “neutral death zone” had no warning signs so prisoners who entered it risked being instantly targeted for fatal shots. The security personnel inspected primarily the prisoners’ legs to stop possible suicide attempts. Visitors to the right side will discover two reconstructed barracks where Barrack 38 displays exhibitions about Jewish detainees and Barrack 39 exhibits camp life activities. The neighboring original prison which SS and Gestapo operated for punishment included acts of torture against prisoners. The cells house several memorials that monument to fighters from both the service members and foreign resistance groups who died there.
Visitors will find the most interesting collections within the prison kitchen. The exhibit presents an outstanding overview about camp life to focus on primary incidents. Most visitors consider this display the most captivating one displayed at the location. A trip to the memorial should always begin from this location despite eventual checks back at the barracks. After becoming a national memorial site in 1961 the DDR built a majestic memorial which stands behind the kitchen. Eighteen red triangles symbolize the required prison wear that political prisoners needed to wear. The DDR placed great importance on showing that the socialists and communists fought against the Nazi regime. Numerous negative actions and criminal behaviors received blame from capitalists which rightly freed the working people from responsibility.
The distant part of the site features another watchtower that showcases a weak presentation illustrating how the camp relates to the town. During the period from 1945 to 1950 the Soviets used the outlet that directly accessed the nearby camp behind. The site maintains numerous surviving structures in addition to a large documentation center which presents considerable evidence regarding Soviet crimes. The main camp and Nazi period receives more interest from visitors compared to the usage of the facility from 1945 to 1950 which was itself a severe crime.
A disturbing sector of the camp can be reached by entering a hole in the nearby memorial monument wall. The SS used Station Z as an official designation for the murderous incineration complex which culminated in the prisoners’ final unfortunate moment. Sachsenhausen owned gas chambers mostly designed to teach and conduct experiments without any involvement in mass exterminations.
Station Z of the Concentration Camp at Sachsenhausen
A major medical exhibition shows medical treatment conditions alongside criminal activities in the camp through the combination of old pathology structures with mortuary vaults and infirmary barracks at the left side of the main entrance. It makes better sense to focus on restricted information rather than attempting to consume a complete range.
Information for Visitors to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Opening Hours
From mid-March to mid-October and from mid-October to mid-October visitors can access the Sachsenhausen Memorial day and night from 8:30 to 18:00. The indoor exhibitions at Sachsenhausen Memorial operate weekdays between 11:00 and 15:00 but remain closed on Mondays. There are limited operating hours at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museums throughout the Christmas and New Year holidays yet the facility remains accessible to visitors on those days. Visitors of all ages are welcome but the museum asks children under 12 not to view graphic content exhibited at the Memorial site or inside displays. The grounds featuring all displays can be accessed for free by anyone. The cost to obtain a map or audio tour guide amounts to a reasonable fee. The memorial spaces do not allow bicycles nor dogs.
The memorial site does not operate food sales and the small café adjacent to the museum stands only when entrance admissions are collected. On the way to or from the memorial, pick up a picnic lunch at the bakery opposite the station.
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