When it comes to talking about history of Germany, one has to mention tragedies of the Nazi period. Among the most horrific and melancholic events in this period was dawn of the concentration camps as well as their functioning. In the following blog, it will unveil facts about the concentration camps in Berlin and provide enlightenment on this hidden history.
1. Historical analysis of the concentration camps
Concentration camps were build by Nazi during the World War II as part of the Holocaust – the systematic state-sponsored killing of various groups, mostly Jews but also the gypsies, homosexuals, POVS, disabled, liberals, religious people, socialists and communists, as well as trade unionists. Concentration camps, that is, camps for imprisonment, forced work, and mass extermination.
2. The camp was called Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp.
Zackenhausen near Oranienburg Berlin was among the first concentration camps that the Nazis set up. Originally constructed for the purpose of detaining people who the royal government deemed as problematic, it was later adapted to also house criminal prisoners of all stripes. Sachsenhausen was active from 1936; the camp was liberated by the Soviets in 1945. The Sachsenhausen camp was able to hold hundred of thousands of prisoners: estimates range from 200,000 to 300,000; and in the course of the camp’s existence at least 30,000 died in the camp of starvation, disease and executions.
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2.1 Living Conditions
The residents of Sachsenhausen had a really appalling standard of living. A prisoners had to live in darkness, in overcrowded camps with no supply of food, fresh water, or medicine, and gets tortured by their SS captors. The denial of the barest necessities and the resulting state of fear that definitionly characterized detention the detained had no respite.
2.2 Infamous Incidents
Sachsenhausen was the scene of several well known events, one of which was the excecution site known as ‘Station Z.’ This is a place where thousands of prisoners were put to death through different causes, bullet shots, hanging and poisoning among others. The idea was to instill fear and horror on the prisoners.
3. The Ravensbrück Women’s Concentration Camp
Situated 56 miles north of Berlin, Ravensbrück became the largest women’s only concentration camp created by the Nazis. F: Established in 1939, it detained women of varied nationality and status – political prisoners and Jehovah’s Witnesses. About 130,000 women and children were incarcerated there and thousands perished, quite likely tens of thousands.
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3.1 Medical Experiments
This camp developed into a center for inhumane medical experiments on the concentration camp female prisoners. Those experiments were performed by doctors who were ethical insensitive and directly inflicted pain and injuries and led to death on the victims.
3.2 Resistance and Liberation
Indeed, the women in Ravensbrück were resilient and were ready to resist as they suffered in camps continuously. They developed underground organizations or formed rings that exchanged details and in some cases effectively under-mined the camp’s economy production. The camp was finally liberated in April 1945 by Soviets.
4. Visit Memorial Sites
Thus, the existing Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück are functioning as the victims’ memory and as an educative method for the populations to understand what happened during the war. The visitors can be inspired to receive a sorrowful and historically informative experience which helping to understand the tragedy of the Holocaust and the necessity to avoid such disaster again.
Conclusion
Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück concentration camps located in Berlin are conveyed to bear the special brutally of the Nazis. To avoid similar tragic history from repeating itself, it’s therefore important to continually remind ourselves some of the basic facts on these concentration camps. This means that it is very important that we educate ourselves and try to visit such facility to honor the families and try and fight against ignorance and hatred.
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