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Where : Sachsenhausen concentration Camp, Oranienburg-Berlin
Discovering Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
If you are visiting Berlin and you want to understand a little more about the history behind the Concentration Camp during World War II, we invite you to check out Sachsenhausen. It’s a small trip outside the city, a little more than one hour by train.
Once you arrive in Oranienburg, it’s but a small walk to the Sachsenhausen Concentration camp. This was a Nazi concentration camp used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May 1945. It’s free to visit and you can also pay for a Guided tour.
A guided tour ?
Yes. We usually enjoy exploring these sites on our own, but in this rich history we thought a guide would be best. Our guide started the tour in the main building, giving some background information. Later, we walked the camp with further explanation and understood Sachsenhausen’s purpose in comparison with other concentration camps.
We highly recommend the tour. It’s roughly $15 euros per person. They explain details about how the Camp started, how the locals of Oranienburg reacted. Furthermore, they also explained the various sections of the concentration camp. Something you might not understand with a self guided tour.
Furthermore
The trip practically took all morning and part of the afternoon. There’s a lot of standing and walking involved, for that we recommend wearing really comfortable shoes. Also sunscreen if it’s a sunny day.
There are many concentration camps to visit in Germany. Sachsenhausen is one of the first ones to open for political prisoners. Our guide also made a few references to Auschwitz, which was more of a death camp located in Poland.
Do we recommend ?
Yes. It’s always sad to visit places like this, but it’s part of history. It’s also important to understand how were times during World War II.
It’s a heavy experience, so select one camp carefully because you might not want to visit another afterwards.
Serge: 5 Eli: 5 / (out of 5)
Spending more time in Berlin ? Come back to see more attractions as we move across the city !
Churches
The historical Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church
Historical landmarks
The Tiergarten has it all, nature and historical landmarks!
There’s the Brandenburg Gate and Jewish Memorial right next to each other.
Checkpoint Charlie is quite small, but there’s lots more to see in the area!
Topography of Terror is both an indoor and outdoor museum
