We took the tram to Sachenhausen about 20 miles north of Berlin. This is the site of one of the most notorious concentration camps. It was used to train camp guards and new procedures. It was also the site of the Third Reich’s counterfeiting operation. They printed pound notes with the aim of flooding the market to destabilize Great Britain. It was completed in 1936. It was meant to be a labor camp intended to wring hard work out of the prisoners. Between 1936 and 1945 200,000 prisoners did time here and 50,000 died. Many of the prisoners there were sent to Auschwitz to be killed. After the war the USSR used it as a special prison for Nazis as well as anti Stalin Russians and they continued the killing.
We were there close to 5 hours. There are actual buildings demonstrating how the prisoners lived as well as pictures and stories of the prisoners and guards. There are memorials to the people that died there. It is quite overwhelming. You cannot stop reading the unbelievable stories of these brave people.
Memorials just ouside the camp
GDR’s National Memorial 1961
Execution Trench, used for mass shootings
Crematorium near by the “Infirmary” where Zyklon-B was tested
The dentist would be sure to remove the gold teeth
There is so much more. Be sure you visit this link when you have lots of time
No comments:
Post a Comment