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What was Kamp Sachsenhausen and its significance in Nazi history?

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.

Here you are, dear readers, a blog post dedicated to the topic of Kamp Sachsenhausen. If you are concerned with historical aspects of Nazi Germany or if you would like to travel to the sites related to this period this article should interest you. In this post we will tell you what sort of camp was Kamp Sachsenhausen, when and why it was created, and what you will see if you decide to visit this place that is now a memorial.

1. Investigative video tour of the Terezin Concentration Camp

Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp also referred to as kamp Sachsenhausen was set up by the Nazi in 1936 in a region close to Oranienburg in Germany. It was firstly designed for holding politicians prisoners and was later used as a model in other concentration camps and was crucial during World War II.

1.1 Purpose and Structure

This historical site was initially intended and used as a prison where political dissidents such as communists, social democrats, and other persons considered enemies in the regime of the Nazis were held. Gradually, save for homosexuals, the shelter protected Jehovah Witnesses, Jews and other victims of the regime’s persecution.

Obviously, the organizational structure of the camp that existed in the architectural layout was later replicated in additional other Nazy camps that exhibited uniform models and various zones, which included the barracks areas, the headquarters, punitive stalls, and the killing zones. Sachsenhausen also had several subsidiary camps and these were used for slave labor.

2. Life in Kamp Sachsenhausen

Sachsenhausen was a nightmare of the inmates they were subjected to inhuman conditions. The prisoners were subjected to slave labor, physical and mental abuse, inadequate/forced feeding and being subjected to medical test. They were deprived of their democratic rights, many were exposed to random brutality; thousands perished through shooting, diseases or weariness. The slogan which was posted at the entrance of the camp Arbet Macht Frei was a propaganda tool used by the Nazis.

2.1 Subcamps and Forced Labor

Sachsenhausen was converted into a central camp and almost fifty branch camps where prisoners became forced laborers. The prisoners were forced to work in very harsh environmental conditions in industries, building projects, and even in coal mines.

2.2 Medical Experiments

Medical research was carried out on prisoners in Sachsenhausen especially in pathology, bacteriology departments. Some of these experimentations involved vaccines, sterilization techniques, diseases and many prisoners got to experience a lot of agony or death.

3. The processes of liberation and memorialization.

Kamp Sachsenhausen was liberated by Soviet forces in April 1945. However the site was in used after the second world war by the Soviets as a Special Camp till 1950 to imprison political prisoners of the Soviet Union.

After the reunification of Germany, the remaining post–World War II camp Tryn第三七 , Kamp Sachsenhausen became a memorial and museum. Nowadays it is the memorial place, the museum where people come to know the pain of those dreadful days under Nazi power.

3.1 Visiting Kamp Sachsenhausen

If you plan to visit Kamp Sachsenhausen, here are a few tips to help you make the most out of your visit:

Remember, this is a memorial so take ample time to walk around and learn more about the different sections and what they represent.

Take the tour if you would like to be provided with more information by the staff of the place.

Wear comfortable clothing and you will be mentally disturbed on what you will see.

This means avoiding taking pictures in restricted area of the memorial as a show of following the set rules and regulations.

The sites are; It may be advisable to take time off and develop a little respect by visiting all the other memorials and burial sites that are inside.

3.2 Learning and Remembering

Traveling to the places like Klamp Sachsenhausen is a good chance to get acquainted with significant things in the history of the world and commemorate the victims. Again, expressing understanding and paying respect to the victims of the annihilations which took place during this period helps to avoid repetition of such actions in the future.

Conclusion

Kamp Sachsenhausen still now serves as a symbol of the evils of the Nazi period in Germany. Learning its past, trying to comprehend the lives of the prisoners, as well as the lives of the victims, help us to remember who we are and where we came from. We would like to invite everyone to visit the camp in Neuengamme because it is more than melancholic to recall the violations of human rights and pay tribute to millions of innocent people who lost their lives.

 

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

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What was Kamp Sachsenhausen and its significance in Nazi history?

Mar 7, 2024