To visit the Sachsenhausen camp is to feel the horror and tragedy of a concentration camp, a silent and obscure witness of Nazi Germany. Discover its history and how to visit it.
Out of land in 1933 but active from 1936 to 1945, the Sachsenhausen camp is a concentration camp located in Oranienburg, 30 kilometers north of Berlin . Today, visit Sachsenhausen camp is a way of paying tribute to the 200,000 prisoners, while knowing that 84,000 never returned.
History of the Sachsenhausen camp in Berlin
Photo credit: Shutterstock – de Meunierd
The Sachsenhausen camp is the first to have been drawn. His main purpose was to show Nazi superiority. It was also intended to facilitate monitoring, experiments and total control of the premises. However, this camp was not intended to take office. The Sachsenhausen camp is especially renowned for being a building. He was first designed to experiment with the concentration system. Those who followed, whether they were concentration camps or extermination camps ( Auschwitz So, Sobibor...), therefore, have an architecture similar to that of Sachsenhausen.
At the outset, political internees (communists or trade unionists) and prisoners of common law are held there. Then come those who are described as an associal, as well as stateless persons and homosexuals. Indeed, the latter were arrested to make the city of Berlin more “clean”, for the Olympic Games of the summer of 1936.
At its peak, the Nazi regime will internalize all those who oppose it or who are considered “lower”. Thus, religious prisoners (Jews, Gypsies...) will be sent to them without household. Secondly, it is the escalation: it is no longer just about locking human beings. Medical and other atrocities will be conducted. A very large number of prisoners will be abused, violent and tortured, while others will simply be executed, without consideration.
At the end of the war, in 1945, the Sachsenhausen camp was taken over by the Soviet secret services. There was what was then called “a silent camp” where 60,000 internees lived in inhuman and inconceivable circumstances. More than 12,000 of them died because of the conditions of life, hunger and diseases that were spreading.
In the early 1960s, the Sachsenhausen camp was declared a historic monument, memory and memory. An anti-fascist memorial was erected this same year, as a funeral foot. Since the 1990s, work has been carried out to preserve the infrastructure of the site and to maintain its entire atmosphere.
What to see and do at Sachsenhausen camp in Berlin?
Photo credit: Shutterstock – De Borjaika
In total, thirteen exhibitions allow us to understand the complexity and history of the site and the morbid daily life of its prisoners and internees. There are many documents to read, see, and listen. These are not centralized. The visit of the entire site lasts a few hours and the exhibitions are only accessible on foot. Think about equipping you with comfortable shoes.
A whole day is enough to visit the Sachsenhausen camp. And for an autonomous visit, you can have audio-guides, for the modest sum of 3 euros. Thus, you visit at your own pace and can take the time to observe and raise the many mysteries that the Sachsenhausen camp contains.
From your first steps in the Sachsenhausen camp, you will find yourself facing a large wall with large photographs. They testify to the events of the time. Then you approach the main entrance, you will follow a space where there are many stele. They recall the tragedy of history. Finally, you will discover Tour A, a white building. It served as the main entrance, whose architecture is characteristic of concentration camps.
The visit of the Sachsenhausen camp will allow you to discover the entire site, through the exhibitions. Getting on the spot allows you to make an idea of what could happen. You will discover the dormitories, the ersatz of sanitary, the kitchens with child drawings on the walls, the remains of crematoriums. One of the most striking pieces is dressed in white tiles. It seems to have been the scene of inhuman experiences on prisoners and internees... The audio-guide will reveal a lot more. You must undoubtedly have the heart sometimes well hung.
How do I go to the Sachsenhausen camp in Berlin?
To go to the Sachsenhausen camp, it is easier to leave Berlin. From the city, the train is the easiest transport: the S1 (urban train) or the RE5 will take you there, count about 50 minutes. You have the choice between taking a single ticket (at 3.30 euros) or a ticket at the day (at 7 euros), more interesting because if your schedule allows you, you will have the leisure to enjoy the whole city after your visit. Be careful, make sure you have Zone C on your pass, otherwise add it.
Oranienburg Train Station is not far from the camp to which you can walk (take about 20 minutes). In case of need, you can ask your way to the people who are used to seeing the world pass. If time does not allow it, or if for any other reason you do not prefer to walk too long, a bus line will take you near the camp. This is Line 804, passing every hour by Oranienburg Station. However, do not look for the Sachsenhausen decision, but Straße der Nationen. A little detail you need to know!
Prices of Sachsenhausen camp in Berlin
Schedule
Visiting the Sachsenhausen camp is possible every day, all year round. Organize yourself well because the visit, unaccompanied, lasts almost 3 hours.
- Spring-Summer Time (mid-March to mid-October): 8:00 – 6:00
- Autumn-Winter Time (mid-October to mid-March): 8:00 – 16:30
Rates
Admission is free. However, and for a more complete visit, it is advisable to rent an audio-guide. You will need to activate it at each stage of your visit. Available in several languages, it costs only 3 euros.
It is also possible to offer the services of a more expensive guide. Thanks to this professional, you will have answers to the specific questions that will arrive throughout the journey. Accompanied services are sometimes organised from Berlin. Provide a budget from 17 euros per person, in addition to the transport ticket between the city centre and the camp (this is not included in the benefits, generally).
Good to know.
- If you opt for a guided tour, consider buying a transport ticket from Berlin, it will not be included;
Also, prepare yourself to walk a few hours, or at least, to remain standing, for there is nowhere to sit, except on the ground; - there are few places to shelter. So think, depending on the time that is scheduled on the day you visit the Sachsenhausen camp, to take a umbrella, sun cream or a hat;
- Also plan a "over-the-inch" meal that you can eat outside the camp. Indeed, there is no restoration on site. However, there are restaurants nearby in the centre of Oranienburg;
- it is your own decision about taking photographs. Photos are allowed but some may not be comfortable with this practice in this type of place.
The Sachsenhausen camp will not leave you with marble: its heavy historical scope will necessarily find its way to your emotions. We must therefore be aware of this before entering the site. Everyone is not able to bear the memory and atmosphere reigning on the scene.
The very hard facts that took place left their imprint, indelible, in the walls.
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