The Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp is a concentration camp memorial located near Oranienburg, Germany just outside Berlin. It was one of the initial founded during the Second World War and delivered most of its unfair contributions being a concentration camp for the Nazis. Below, you will find some valuable insights which can help you to enjoy your trip to Sachsenhausen if you’re going to visit it.
1. Plan Your Visit
It will thus help to plan for the tour to Sachsenhausen before you go. The memorial can be visited anytime of the year, however, it advised to check the opening times on the official website to find out if there are any current special events or closures. Also, bear in mind that most of this memorial is an open area in the United Kingdom where the weather conditions are often unpredictable. Department is recommended according to the weather or the prevailing climate as there are many footages that require a lot of walking.
Guided Tours
Nowhere is this truer than when visiting Sachsenhausen and therefore; one of the most recommended means for getting to tour this place is through viable guided tours. These tours are offered in different languages and give out an informative regard to the camp’s history, the constructions and tales of the prisoners. It is recommended that you organize for a guided tour depending on whether you book online or on the events on that day.
Audio Guides
If you would like to set your own pace for the tour, you may opt to hire an audio visual aid. These guides give a description of events as you move around the site through a self-guided tour. There are audio guides translated into several languages, and there is a mobile application, which provides an initial familiarization with the camp’s history.
2. Explore the Exhibitions
Different buildings and exhibitions in the memorial at Sachsenhausen give the necessary information about the camp. Be sure to go see the museum and to hear the stories of the prisoners, their lives and suffering. There are photos, personal effects, and installations that tell the grim story of this site.
3. Visit the Key Sites
While exploring Sachsenhausen, there are several key sites within the memorial that you should not miss:
- The Appellplatz: This is the roll-call square where prisoners were called out several times a day, amidst other things.
- The Crematorium: A serious place that represents the dreadful situation and genocide that occurred in the camp.
- The Station Z: This sector contains the gassing mortuary the killing installations and a crematorium with a pathology laboratory.
- The Watchtowers and Barbed Wire: As specified, these elements symbolize the repression that was characteristic of the camp and the prisoners’ restriction.
- I suggest that when you are visiting these sites, you should allow yourself little time and energy to deliberate on the history and mourn for the lives lost to the Holocaust.
4. Take a Moment for Reflection
It probably was one of the more emotional tours for me to take here in Sachsenhausen. During your visit try to spend some time in silence mourning and commemorating the victims who died in the genocide. There exist different areas to be solemnly remembered such as memorial, sculptures, and plaques.
5. Respectful Behavior
Visitors should bear in, when in Sachsenhausen, a culture of dignity should be observed at all time. As we advised earlier, always in mind of the fact that this is a place of remembrance and honor. It is forbidden to make loud noises, take souvenir photos, and otherwise remind visitors that they are standing on sacred ground.
6. Learn from the Guides
In case you opt for the guided tour or if you come across any of the staff from the memorials be sure to ask as many questions as you can. The guides are friendly and if you need a more explanation they are able to explain what it is all about.
7. Additional Considerations
Here are a few additional considerations when planning your visit to Sachsenhausen:
- Transportation: Sachsenhausen can be easily reached by train or buses from Berlin. Find out the best way to get there on your day of visit.
- Accessibility: The memorial has signposted channels and structures that are friendly to disabled persons in their movement around.
- Food and Facilities: Currently, there is a café and a visitor center with restroom amenities to receive any guests.
- Photography: It is legal to photography but this should be done in a sensible and scalable manner with no performance of vulgar photos.
- Following these guidelines, the reader can guarantee himself/her a meaningful and sensitive visit to the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial. It is essential always to have some respect when visiting such places and to keep in mind the accomplishments of those who suffered during this period of history.
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