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What Can I Expect When Touring Sachsenhausen?

by | Mar 7, 2024 | Concentration Camp

Want to explore sachsenhausen concentration camp? Come and join us on the Original Berlin Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour.

Whether you are a history freak or have a general fascination for the past, a tour of the Sachsenhausen complex will be good for some food for thought. The camp was established in 1936 in Oranienburg just outside Berlin and like all concentration camps was used for the imprisonment of Jews, homosexuals, Gypsies, Social Democrats, communists, trade union members and other individuals the Nazis considered undesirable during the second world war. So, let us give you a brief of what to expect at Sachsenhausen and how well you can enhance the experience in this blog post.

1. Overview of Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen was created in 1936 by the Nazis as an example of a Concentration camp. Formerly, it functioned until 1945 and to this very day, this institution was associated with the manifestation of the crimes committed during the Holodomor. Nowadays, Sachsenhausen is a memorial and a museum, which is to commemorate the victims of the camp and thousand of people who suffered.

1.1 Guide or Self-Guided Tour?

While on a tour to Sachsenhausen there is an option to take a guided tour round the camp or make it independently. It is good to do a guided tour due to the information that is being given and the order with which it is done and doing it on your own just in case you want to do it at your own pace. Leverage this decision based on your desires of how much detail you want to spend time going over.

2. What to See and Do

When visiting you will be able to make the tour and learn more about the camp and how it started. Here are some key highlights:

2.1 Prisoner Quarters

It is therefore advisable to physically be led through the reconstructed prisoner’s quarters in order to get an appreciation of the quarters’ lifestyles of the prisoners in the camp. Life like conditions in prisoners’ prisons are depicted through small bunks; meager items the prisoners were allowed which included a mug for water, tin cup for food and a little box to sleep on.

2.2 Appellplatz

The Appellplatz or roll call square was the large area where prisoners were counted as many as four or five times daily. Being in this large open area, one can easily fathom the oppression that engulfed the whole enclosure during these roll calls not to mention the beatings that entrants received for breaking all the camp rules.

2.3 Tower A and B

Go to the top of Tower A and B where one is sure to get a vantage point over the entire camp grounds and get an appreciation of its size and camp layout plus the magnitude of suffering that went on in the compound. It provides a vantage view on what these towers were used for in the aspect of spying on prisoners.

2.4 Museum Exhibits

Attached to the camp there is a museum containing numerous relics, photographs, documents which enlighten the history of the camp and its activities. It is recommended that you read through the information carefully so you improve your appreciation of the importance of the camp.

3. Practical Tips

Here are some practical tips to help make your visit to Sachsenhausen more enjoyable:

  • Take someones advice and wear comfortable shoes because there is a lot of walking done during the tour.
  • This tour will be partly outside please wear appropriate clothing for the current weather conditions.
  • Remember to always take water and some form of a snack perhaps a bottle of water for the whole session. Spending time within the camp can be very tiring to to the body and sometimes the mind, it means that one must always carry water and healthy foods.
  • Stay at least 330 feet away from the memorial and make sure the atmosphere is mud and dignified on the premises. Be cautious, and respect other guests, do not make loud noises or act inpen.
  • A good visit should afford adequate time for your visit. Sachsenhausen is a vast camp, and if you want to get aquatinted with the whole site it will take you at least several hours.

4. Reflect and Remember

It is a heavy visit with implications to make one really start pondering in the concentration camp at Sachsenhausen. The liberating stories of the victims found here shall be the voice of conscience to the terrible things happened during the second World war. If you need to pace yourself to understand the implications it’s okay; there are millions of lives who perished.

When becoming a part of Sachsenhausen tour one supports the future generations to comprehend the necessity of concentrating the memorization process. This visit is an important life experience and a good chance to pay tribute to the victims.

Final Thoughts

Sachsenhausen is among those places that impress with their tragic history, and during the excursion, travelers receive a lot of new information. It is an important time that the public could use to remember the past and correct their behavior for the better. As a general note, no matter the type of the camp tour one opts for, the self- guided or the guided, one should take his/her time to navigate around the camp and view the history being presented through the exhibits and display. This way you show your respect and help those who perished in World War II would not be forgotten.

Want to explore sachsenhausen concentration camp? Come and join us on the Original Berlin Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour.

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What Can I Expect When Touring Sachsenhausen?

Mar 7, 2024