Below are historical concentration camps in Germany for those interested in experiencing a historical journey of the concentration camps. Despite World War II being over for quite some time, the holocaust is one of the most horrific aspects of history that one can ever come across and if you visit, you will see the signs of the inhumane acts that were committed and even honor the victims . In this article we will present you with basic information about major camps in Germany, as well as general tips on how to experience the visit of the concentration camp to the fullest.
1. Auschwitz-Birkenau
Auschwitz Birkenau extermination camp, in Oswiecim Poland was the biggest of the aforesaid concentration and extermination camp under the Third Reich. Although situated outside Germany, it is an indispensable place to get to appreciate the extrapolation of holocaust. Its relative vastness is a further sign of the brutality that occurred at the camp.
Situation During your visit, you can wonder in different sections in the camp, for example, Auschwitz I camp was an administrative section, while the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp was mainly used for extermination. Again, the museum, and the exhibits of the barracks, the gass chambers, and crematoria are very useful in setting up historical perspective. There are several self-guided walking/running tour routes and staff-guided tours to enhance the site’s understanding of the camp’s history.
2. Dachau
Dachau is located just outside of Munich Germany and is the first concentration camp that was constructed by the Nazi. It formed the basis for other like camps and visiting Dachau is a cold way of understanding some early stages of the holocaust. The entire camp is a memory of the plight of the prisoners that were held therein.
Today, tourists to Dachau experience the historical site with a look at the original sections of the camp, including the administration offices, residential huts and the crematorium section. There are many exhibits which include general historical information about the camp, about everyday life of prisoners and all evil that happened in the camp.
3. Sachsenhausen
Another worthy place is the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, situated to the north of Berlin. Until 1937, this camp was utilized in holding political prisoners of the Nazi regime, and afterward turned into an experimental camp for instructing SS officers. A visit at Sachsenhausen is a chance to understand the principles that governed the Concentration camp system in its entirety.
While on the camp you can take a tour through the different areas of the camp that still stands today like walls, watch towers and prisoners’ cells. The memorial site also has sections that offer an historical overview for the given time period and a description of what happened in the prison. When visiting the camp, do not leave without watching the moving scene of the death of thousands of prisoners in Station Z.
4. Bergen-Belsen
The Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was in the province of Lower Saxony, in northern Germany and was built as a prisoner-of-war camp or as a temporary holding center for such prisoners and then as an extermination camp. It is well known for the horrible treatment prisoners received and thousands of people who died from diseases, starvation and abuse.
Currently, site presents a memorial and a documentation center, informing about the history of Bergen-Belsen. The aesthetically pleasing compound currently offers solace to families and acts as memorial site for relatives to come pay their homage.
5. Buchenwald
Other readily accessible examples include the Buchenwald concentration camp at Weimar, Germany, to study the focused and methodical extermination of a selection of the population and the camp resistance movements. This article depicts the strength of the survivors of the camp they endured through allods of suffering and came out alive.
While here you’re able to walk round the past camp area, see the memorials and watch impressing exhibitions depicting the prisoners’ Every day lives, as well as the Liberation stage. There are organized tours that provide information on the backgrounds of the camp together with personal details about the people detained in Buchenwald.
Planning Your Visit
When touring concentration camps, one needs to bear in mind that one is on holy ground and should handle the event with considerable regard. Here are a few tips to make the most of your visit:
Research and Educate Yourself
It would be most beneficial to spend some time before visiting the concentration camp, to learn all there is about it including the history of the place. Knowing this background information will also enrich your visit in a way which will make it easier to appreciate exhibitions and sites of memory more effectively.
Book Guided Tours
One is that most of these concentration camps have tourist information centres and well-accredited experienced tour guides. Using the guided tour, it is possible to discover some interesting things that might be not seen by a common visitor, get more detailed information about the history of the camp directly from a guide who knows that information, for sure.
Allow Time for Reflection
People get touched by seeing concentration camps, thus there should be free time where tourists should relax too. It is high time to think about the victims, and about what had happened to them, what they had to suffer. This time for reflection allows one to take time and feel the horror of the holocaust and it effects on millions of people.
Be Mindful of Photography
Otherwise known as taking photos, this privilege should however done in a polite and considerate manner. Remember that in some areas of the site, photography is prohibited; however, adhere to the rules described by each location. As you navigate these sites always bear in mind that they are shrines where the dead are remembered.
Conclusion
Touring Germany and visiting concentration camps educates a person on this horror of the holocaust, allows them to pay their respect to victims and make sure that such thing will never happen again. If you are to visit these sites with respect and sensibility, you will stand to be privileged to have witnessed a terrible part of history. In order to identify your sites effectively, spend some time planning your visit and thus respect those places and their inhabitants.
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