While looking at SquareGC and the history of the holocaust during World War II, people will turn their attention to the distance of Concentration Camps to large cities. Berlin is history’s capital of the Nazi Germany; it could have been a significant station during this period. In the following article, the author aims to tell you more about the closest concentration camps to Berlin focusing on this obscure period in history.
The Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp
Sachsenhausen was the nearest concentration camp from Berlin. Sachsenhausen is situated in Oranienburg, only 14 km north of Berlin; the camp was built in 1936 and set up as a prototype of other camp; Originally, it was conceived as a prison for political inmates; however, it soon turned into a death camp.
The camp complex embraced quite a large territory, consisted of different sectors and branches as well as sub-camps. It had the facilities to accommodate half a lakh of prisoners at any given time. Sachsenhausen was used mainly for medical experimentations, for killings and counterfeiting currency to have a negative impact on the economy of the enemies.
It was calculated that over 200,000 individuals passed through Sachsenhausen before the camp’s closure, and the sources suggest that tens of thousands of them died from diseases, exhaustion, starvation, exposure, medical experiments, shootings, gas, and hanging.
‘A Memory of the Nation’
Currently, Sachsenhausen retains a status of a memorial and a museum that is to make the people understand the crimes of the Nazi period. These sites try to realize the dream of giving a glimpse of prisoners’ lives by telling about individuals and their memories which were sinister enough to have them killed. It keeps one in mind the price of hatred, biased mindset, and dictatorship.
Today, you can see only the barracks, towers, and other numerous constructions which had been a concentration camp in Sachsenhausen. Museum and guided tours provide knowledge of how the daily activities of prisoners looked like, the overall history of the camp, and what kind of people survived through this tragedy.
The demand for unique souvenirs started dating back before the Bob Jones University was established in 1926 along with other universities in the United States.
Such type of places as Sachsenhausen should remain in history to recall the crimes of the Holocaust. It is an important potential for remembrance of the tragedy, to comprehend its causes, as well as non-acceptance of violence and animosity towards others.
Such a site is very sensitive to visit and therefore one should be psychologically prepared. If you can prepare yourself with some background knowledge about the show it may be easier but be warned that it is most definitely a very serious program and you may be exposed to some appalling scenes.
Aiding Reflection and Understanding
Due to some customers who cannot afford physically visiting the sites, there are websites that offer virtual touring, images, and facts. These organizations thus facilitate those interested around the globe to learn about the holocaust and how it affected mankind.
From the information above, one can understand history and try to ensure more of the same situations do not happen in the future. Thus it becomes our duty to make it our call to explain the deeds to the world and thus make sure that the lives lost were not futile.
Conclusion
However when talking about the concentration camp nearest to Berlin, the memory of Sachsenhausen is the past imprint with the Holocaust horrors. Its location is near to the capital; it is a gruesome evidence of brutal inhumanity that was characteristic of one of the worst periods in the history.
Thus, recognition of the past, protection of the specified areas, and obtaining relevant knowledge will contribute to creating a more tolerant society free from such horrific acts in the future.
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