Are you planning a trip to Berlin and interested in exploring the city’s history? If so, a visit to Sachsenhausen is a must! Located in Oranienburg, about 35 kilometers north of Berlin, Sachsenhausen was a Nazi concentration camp during World War II. In this blog post, we’ll guide you through everything you need to know about taking a train to Sachsenhausen.

Why Visit Sachsenhausen?

Going to Sachsenhausen allows to combine the historical sightseeing and the visit to important historical site, which tells the story of Nazi Germany and the concentration camp. It is a rather sorrowful but kind of necessary visit to teach people lessons and remember the history.

Using Public Transport, How to Get to Sachsenhausen

Train seems to be one of the most accessible means to get to Sachsenhausen. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Step 1: Departure from Berlin

Begin your trip in any of the principal railway stations namely Berlin Hauptbahnhof or main station, Berlin Alexanderplatz, or Berlin Friedrichstraße. All these stations provide direct link to Sachsenhausen.

Step 2: How to Choose the Right Train

Sachsenhausen is located in Oranienburg, and there are regional trains that run between Oranienburg and Berlin on the hour. These trains are coded as RB – Regionalbahn or RE – Regional Express. Train timetable may be obtained both in German railway company web-site Deutsche Bahn as well as in the train stations using electronic boards.

Step 3: Purchasing Tickets

A ticket has to be bought before you get on the train to its destination as a passenger. Tickets you get in the train stations either at ticket machines or from the ticket office manned staff. To avoid any difficulties it is necessary to check ticket prices and possible ways of the trip in advance.

Step 4: Boarding the Train

After obtaining your ticket, look for the platform on which the wanted train is to arrive. The different platforms are always distinguished by signs and the trains are normally well numbered and indicated by their destinations. You should ensure that you set enough time to search for the right platform that your train uses before you are due to board.

Step 5: Journey to Oranienburg

Getting on the train going to Oranienburg. The whole trip going to and from the turntable is generally considered to take about 30 minutes. Take a load off, put your feet up and watch the beautiful German countryside as you head towards the Sachsenhausen district.

Step 6: Arrival at Oranienburg

Oranienburg can be reached by train from Berlin and afterwards visitors should get out of the train station and find the bus stop just outside. From there you need to take either bus 804 or 821 to get to the Sachsenhausen Memorial. The bus ride takes about 10 minutes and deposits one near the entrance leading to the memorial area.

Expectations of Sachsenhausen

In Sachsenhausen today, there are several display and monuments as well as camps that give information on the lives of prisoners of the Nazis regimes. Some highlights include:

Visitor Center and Museum

Begin your visit at the official visitor center and museum of the county and discover the history of Edenton. In these collections you can familiarize yourself with historical account of the camp, tragic histories of people and cruelty of the Nazi regime. However, from the museum sites there is an opportunity to get a general idea of the camp and its importance.

Prisoner Barracks

Visit the reconstructed prisoner barrack to find out more about the past suffering of those people who were imprisoned in the camp. These grim facts gave the outsiders a brief idea of the kind of life the prisoners copped on to.

Appellplatz and Guard Towers

This was a yard of hard inspections and roll-call formation arouse the area known as Appellplatz. The two large structures standing to the immediate right of the square can easily be recognized as guard towers, symbolizing the present day ceaseless monitoring of the camps.

Crematorium

Go to the crematorium, which was the camp’s burial place for prisoners who died in the camp. This sombre area is dedicated to the memory of genocide carried out in Sachsenhausen.

Tips for Your Visit

Children you should wear comfortable shoes and clothes according to the weather since most of the time you will be walking.

Visiting another central point of interest might help: take the guided tour to get deeper into the question of camp’s history. The guides collected in the museum are friendly and educated, so they will be able to give any further explanations needed.

It is important to pause for a moment, show some respect for this place. Sachsenhausen has a special status of a place of remembrance, therefore, a visit should be made with the appropriate respect.

Please don’t forget that your visit to Sachsenhausen is also about educations as well as honoring those that lost their lives, so that the world does not forget. Sachsenhausen is indeed an important station which when one is passing through by a train marked by history and encourages people towards a better society.