If you are planning to visit a concentration camp in Berlin, you may have gotten different feelings. I think it is good to know as a person how they came to be and pay special homage to those who endured and perished in the process. Here you will find everything to be followed before you visit concentration camp in Berlin.

Things To Consider To Gain Understanding Of The Importance Of Visiting

It is not really a holiday to visit a concentration camp but it it is necessary to always remember the trails of Holocaust. If ever you visit those concentration camps, you would also be helping in the documentation of history and in making the future generations understand the effects of hatred and discrimination.

Selecting a Place to Visit to a Concentration Camp

Currently there are several concentration camps that one can visit within and around Berlin. Two out of concentration camps preferred by visitors are Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück because they are located near Berlin. Another big camp is the Dachau concentration camp near Munich, Germany, which is another place you can visit on your way to Berlin as part of the day trip.

In deciding which camp to visit, one has to take into consideration the relative easy of access to the camps, types of tour offered and the historical background of the camps. To some extent it is better to research beforehand, so that you could choose an activity according to your tastes.

Preparing for Your Visit

Any visit to a concentration camp should be preceded by the mental preparation in terms of emotions. The concentration camps are serious locations that may create different feelings among people. There is a need to set some time and read books or watch documentaries that would provide one with some back ground information on holocaust.

Also, it is important to know that the majority of concentration camps includes few provisions such as eating places and washrooms. Recommendable carry along are; water, snacks and any other necessary clothing especially footwear for possible long strolls.

Visiting the center entails the following:

Guided Tours

Almost all concentration camps provide tourist services such as guides who explain the history and main characteristics of the concentration camp. These tours are informative and self explanatory while at the same time you will not miss important details. This is particularly useful because it is advisable to take an organized tour if you are to get the most of the experience.

Museum Exhibitions

Concentration camp museums generally feature large presentations of various historical documents, photographs, and an individual experience of imprisoned people. These bring to the surface vital lessons on the holocaust, and the lives of people who were detained during their captivity. Spend time and effort to go round these exhibits to try and understand as much as possible from them.

Memorial Sites

There is always a memorial that is always associated with concentration camps of victims. Such sites commonly contain monuments, memorial tables and plaques with the list of people who died. People are advised to come, bow and appease their conscience in these calm and quiet places.

Displays and Barracks

When you are touring the camp, you will be privileged to see some more displays and what is a reconstructed barrack. These areas give a clue about people’s living standards and challenges that the prisoners go through daily. Spend a few minutes to understand the importance of each place and the trials people faced.

Remain Respectful

During the visit of the concentration camp, the people should have proper mannerisms. People should speak quietly and refrain from any action that may interfere with other people’s atmosphere. Photography is permitted in some regions of the facility, but use a flash and remember that you are in a sacred space.

Reflecting on Your Visit

There will always be a cocktail feeling when one is coming out of the concentration camp. Spend some time thinking about what it was like and what can be inferred from the experience that just passed. I encourage the public to share your experience with other people with the aim of reducing prejudice against such people.

Just to remind that people, seeing a concentration camp are not tourists but those who came to pay the tribute to the history and reveal the truth which have taken place. We owe it to ourselves and others, and also to the future to promote education.