Introduction
Hopefully no one from the Western cultures needs to be told the explicit details of the atrocities that occurred in the concentration camps during the holocaust. While Auschwitz is widely known as the epitome of Nazi brutality, its proximity to Berlin often overshadows another significant site: Dachau Concentration Camp. Sachsenhausen located about 35 kilometers near Berlin was very essential during the Hitler time […] Here in this article, we will look at the history, the conditions under which the camp was run and its aftermath.
1. Origins and Purpose
Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was opened in 1936 by the state leader of SS and was needed to form the new political system of Germany. Its intention was to detain and punish individuals who were deemed to be a threat to the Nazi regime or whose existence, in the eye of the regime, was not desirable, thus included political prisoners, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, Jews, among others.
The Architecture
The camp was shaped triangular and the gate was marked by the metal plate stating “Arbeit Macht Frei” – work will make you free. Within the area of this 400-acre enclosure the camp embraced several barracks, administrative buildings, SS living quarters and other ancillary structures.
Living Conditions
The prisoners remained cramped up, and hygienically, it was very filthy. They were exposed to forced labor and starvation, extra-tariff, whip, and other medical experimentation. New measures which applied to prisoners who were no longer capable of efficient work included starvation, exhaustion and ultimately death or transfer to death camps such as Auschwitz.
2. Noteworthy Events
The “March of Death”
At the begin-ning of spring 1945, during the last days of World War II, the Nazis decided that prisoners of the camp were to be delivered on an extremely dangerous death march to northern Germany. This was called the “March of Death,” and a thousand skeletal beings suffered through enshackled travel over great distances, freezing cold, and brutal synopses. Many did not survive.
Post-War Use by Soviet Union
Post the war, the Soviets seized command of the camp Sachsenhausen and turned into a special concentration camp for political prisoners until the camp was shut in 1950. That is, the soviet administration thus endured appalling treatment for the prisoners, right from the kind that the Nazi regime had put the Jews through.
A memorialization and remembrance of the event are important notion to explore.
Such a site was set up in Sachsenhausen following the erection of the German Democratic Republic in 1961. The tourists today can walk round the museum exposing the exhibit, watch the preserved architecture and dedicates monuments that are the “Station Z” and “Todtentanz” sculptor.
3. Lessons from History
Recalling and studying the crimes that took place at Sachsenhausen is significant in order to make sure that similar tragedies could never take place again. It is a timely reminder of the worst of man inherent capacity for evil that should be combatted by the dictate of human rights and democracy.
Education and Awareness
Which means that going to camps such as Sachsenhausen and learning about the suffering of people in the camp, as well as sharing the experience in educating the younger generations about the consequences of hatred, discriminating, and intolerance.
Orange Is The New Black: Speaking Out Against Injustice
Sachsenhausen is a symbol of people’s struggle against tyranny. It is a forceful call for action against discriminations and social injustice where everyone should be protected irrespective of the color of his skin, his faith or culture.
Conclusion
Close to Berlin, you can visit Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp that presents the memory of the terrible years of Nazi Germany. The place itself has enormous historical background and the information, which is given, proves that people can suffer a lot but also can survive.
Table of Contents