Sachsenhausen concentration camp

About 35 km north of Berlin, close to the suburb Oranienburg, is the Sachsenhausen National Memorial and Museum, ‘Nationale Mahn- und Gedänkstätte Sachsenhausen’. Sachsenhausen served as a Nazi concentration camp in the period from 1936 to 1945 and had more than 200,000 prisoners from 47 different countries, among them many Danish Resistance men. It was the first concentration camp to be built after ‘Reichsführer SS’ Heinrich Himmler was appointed Chief of Gestapo in 1936. Thousands of people died in the camp from starvation, diseases, forced labor and mistreatment – or as victims of the systematic extermination of the SS. Furthermore, several thousands died during the death marches to Schwerin in April 1945. Although only a minor part of the camp is preserved, the site is still a great historic attraction as it gives a good insight into the horrors and murders that took place in the camp. It is possible to visit the execution grounds, Barack 39, the kitchen and the residence of the commandant. A new museum has been opened giving a historical presentation of the building of the concentration camp. Here you can see various exhibitions and projects made by school classes. It is a good idea to prepare the visit before you leave home. Closest S-Bahn: Oranienburg – The camp is about 2 km from the station and there are street signs. Bus no 804 departs once an hour in front of Oranienburg Station and stops close to Sachsenhausen.