During World War II, the Nazi regime built several concentration camps to imprison and exterminate millions of people. One of these camps was Campo Concentración Sachsenhausen, located near Berlin, Germany. In this blog post, we will explore the history, significance, and conditions of Sachsenhausen concentration camp.

The Origins and Purpose of Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen concentration camp was inaugurated in 1936 by SS chief Heinrich Himmler and was one of the first, so called, ‘model’ camps. Originally designed to hold political prisoners and dissenters of the Nazis for example communists, social democrats and Trade Unionists.

In course of time, Sachsenhausen grew into size and assumed the strategic importance of forced labor and experimentation. Functioning as a model of many other concentration camps, it included different forms of torturing, using human subjects for medical experiments, and mass murder.

Conditions in Sachsenhausen

The living situation in Sachsenhausen were notoriously bad and prisoners experienced extreme levels of overcrowding, staving and sickness. From SS guards they received physical and psychological torture, and even the slightest disobedience was punished severely.

Sachsenhausen inmates underwent slave labor carrying out assignment in factories, construction, and even in manufacturing of weapons. Some perished through diseases, others starved to death, still others due to poor living conditions.

Medical Experiments

Sachsenhausen was also infamous for experimenting on human prisoners through medical science. These experiments included but were not limited to vaccine and sterilization, experimentation and treatment of diseases. A lot of people received painful treatment and died as a consequence of the unethical action of the researchers.

Resistance and Liberation

Sachsenhausen like all other concentration camps was very infamous for the in humane treatment that prisoners received and from which they could not escape. In this camp however, the prisoners engaged in forms of defiance which included messages in food, slowdown workshops, and attempts at escaping. Few of the prisoners were able to secretly photograph or document the anything that went on in the camp for use in trials against Nazi war criminals after the war.

Sachsenhausen was liberated by Soviets in April, 1945. The camp was used as medium for the acts of Nazis’ brutality and thus was the place that was dedicated to the victims of holocaust.

Remembering Sachsenhausen

Currently, Sachsenhausen is a memorial and museum that shows visitors the irrevocable facts about the events of the Holocaust. The site contains all the structures, the buildings, barracks, everything that reminds people of this oppressive part of history.

In visiting such concentration places like Sachsenhausen, we pay our respects to the faces so that no one’s struggle in the camps goes unnoticed. In and of itself it serves as a very strong reminder regarding the issues such as tolerance, willingness to accept people as they are, and protection of their rights.

Visiting Sachsenhausen

Competent travelers recommend that if you are planning to visit Sachsenhausen you should do so respecting the victims and the history of the place. It is highly recommended that you should research about the history prior to the visit and be ready for the fact that you will be upset. We should, however, respect any guideline or policy in place in the memorial.

It is also recommended to take a guided tour which provides the additional historical information and guarantees the visitors cover all the important areas of the camp.

Conclusion

Sachsenhausen Concentration camp is one of the historical places that the Germans visited in world war ii to detest people. The background of the camp, the conditions in which people had to live, and the main idea for which this place stands are helpful in developing an understanding of people’s rights, respect, and the prevention of future occurrence of such types of events.

If we can remember and learn about places like Sachsenhausen today then we stand for a better present and our global future of hope for a society that does not and cannot accept hatred and discrimination.