Berlin, Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp Memorial Tour

Discover an enlightening journey through Sachsenhausen, the nearest concentration camp to Berlin, where visitors can explore firsthand the grim realities of life under Nazi rule. Engage with knowledgeable guides as they narrate tales of hardship faced by Jewish prisoners during this tumultuous period in history.

The guided tour encompasses approximately four hours, providing insights into the daily operations of prisoners within a concentration camp and their everyday lives, primarily preserved structures from earlier eras. This exploration allows visitors to comprehend the intricate historical narrative surrounding this site through various monuments representing different ideological perspectives and periods of time. The tour commences at the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, where key features such as Tower A serve as an iconic entry point for prisoners entering the camp, symbolized by the ubiquitous slogan "Arbeit macht Frei." Visitors proceed to Barracks 38 and 39, which form part of the smaller camp, housing Jewish prisoners who endured the harsh conditions between 1938 and 1942. These barracks now house a museum detailing the experiences of these individuals.

Following this, the tour visits the Camp Prison or Punishment Cells, featuring the original cells where inmates faced severe consequences for minor infractions. Noteworthy is the fact that during the Nazi era, experiments were conducted on prisoners and harsh punishments meted out in the infirmary and mortuary barracks.

The former prison kitchen, now transformed into a museum, showcases significant events occurring at the camp. Additionally, remnants of the Station Z execution site, razed by the Soviets after World War II, illustrate the brutal end of life under Nazi rule. Upon witnessing these atrocities firsthand, one gains profound understanding of the scale and severity of human suffering during the Nazi regime.

This comprehensive overview culminates with a visit to the Soviet Memorial established in 1961, marking the transformation of Sachsenhausen from a Nazi concentration camp into a special Soviet camp.