Is There Any Concentration Camps In Berlin?

Berlin is one of the cities that have undergone through a lot of striving and a lot of aggression in the past ages. For instance, it was the heart of the Nazi Germany in the Second World War; it was the time when the concentration camps were set up in and around the capital. For it was these camps which were used to incarcerate and then eliminate prisoners of war, political dissidents, Jews, and anyone else who might be considered by the Nazi regime to be an undesirable. In this article I will aim to answer following question – was there concentration camp in Berlin during the Nazi period?

What Are Concentration Camps?

Before we try to answer this question let’s clarify what concentration camp means For the purpose of this presentation and answering the question the following definition of concentration camp will be used. Concentration camps were a kind of prison that existed in the form practiced by the Nazis during World War II. However these camps were used to confine and exterminate prisoners of war, political dissidents, Jews, and all other subhumans. Sometimes the prisoners were exploited as slaves so they planned and executed it to benefit the Nazi war campaign.

Nazis concentration camp in Berlin

But in the course of the National-Socialistic regime there were quite a few concentration camps within or near the Greater Berlin. The most significant of these was the terrible Sachsenhausen concentration camp, which was situated Oranienburg, to the north of Berlin. The camp was set up in 1936 to be model of all other concentration camps that would be set up across the country. The camp was for political prisoners as well as Jews who were put to hard work through forced labour and were killed.

In addition there were other small but highly concentration camps located within and around the region of Berlin city. These included Neuengamme concentration camp situated few kilometer away from hamburg and Flossenbürg concentration camp situated near the Czech border. These camps were to hold prisoner from all over Europe in fact in included Jews and political opponents of Hitler’s regime.

The Future of Concentration Camps After World War II

After World War II all the concentration camps of Nazi were shut down. Nevertheless some of the survivors were compelled to stayed in the camps until they were repatriate to their countries. Moreover, several of the concentration camps were transformed into memorials for the victims who died in the deadly camp.

The Sachsenhausen concentration camp is perhaps the most familiar one of all such cases. It was later converted to a museum, the American Museum dedicated to the people that were imprisoned during the Nazi regime. What is now one of the most visited sights and historical memorial to the people who lost their lives during the second world war.

Conclusion

Summing up, it is possible to name the following concentration camps, situated in and near Berlin during the Nazi period. Among those, the identification of Sachsenhausen concentration camp is most familiar to break down political and war criminals, Jews during the World War II. Facilities that were used as concentration camps during the war were also converted to memorials to pay tribute to the people who died in the cruel camps after the war had come to an end. Today some act as a reminder of the events that took place during the Second World War.