Sachsenhausen: Understanding History

Sachsenhausen lies 35 kilometres north of Berlin. It is reachable in 45 minutes by the S1 line. It is one of the most important memorial visits you can make in the region, and it is not an easy one. The Sachsenhausen concentration camp was in operation from 1936 to 1945, after which the same site was used by the Soviet occupying forces as a special camp until 1950. This dual history makes the site more complex than many other memorials and demands time and a willingness to listen carefully from the visitor.

Getting to Oranienburg

The S1 runs from central Berlin — including from Friedrichstraße — to Oranienburg. The journey takes approximately 45 minutes, and the fare is around 3.50 euros with an AB ticket. From Oranienburg station, it is roughly a 20-minute walk to the memorial site; the route is well signposted. In summer at weekends, bus 804 also runs directly from the station to the memorial. Those who walk pass through the town itself, which creates a quiet transition.

History of the Camp

Sachsenhausen was conceived by the SS in 1936 as a model camp. It was intended to serve as a blueprint for all subsequent concentration camps in the German Reich, with a carefully considered layout, clear hierarchies and rationalised control. More than 200,000 prisoners passed through the camp in total. They came from across Europe: political prisoners, Jews, homosexuals, Roma and Sinti, Soviet prisoners of war. Tens of thousands lost their lives — through shooting, hanging, starvation, forced labour, medical experiments and the systematic extermination in the gas chamber of Station Z.

In 1945, as the Soviet Army approached, the SS guards drove the remaining prisoners westward on death marches. Shortly afterwards, Soviet troops liberated the camp. Yet what followed was no straightforward liberation: the Soviet occupying forces established Special Camp No. 7 on the same grounds, one of ten Soviet camps in the Soviet Occupation Zone. Here, until 1950, approximately 60,000 people were interned without trial — Nazi functionaries, but also political opponents of communism, young people and those who were caught up by chance. Around 12,000 of them died.

What You Will See

The visit begins at the entrance gate bearing the inscription "Arbeit Macht Frei". The gate is preserved in its original state and is one of the most oppressive features of the site — not because it is spectacular, but because you know what lay beyond it. Behind it opens the Appellplatz, the centre of the camp, where prisoners were forced to stand for hours every day, in all weathers, for roll call and punishment. The square is empty. That emptiness is deliberate.

Some of the former barracks have been reconstructed and show the living conditions of the prisoners: the sleeping quarters, the sanitary facilities, the food distribution area. The cramped conditions, the cold in winter, the noise of a hundred people in the tightest of spaces — these can be gleaned from the exhibits, but never fully understood. That is something one must simply bear.

Station Z at the north-western end of the site was the extermination area: a mass shooting installation, gas chamber and crematorium. Some elements are preserved; others are sheltered beneath a modern protective roof. There are explanatory panels that describe in sober language what took place here. Sobriety is the appropriate tone.

The museum is housed in the former shoe-testing commando building. Prisoners were forced to walk 40 kilometres a day here on various surfaces in order to test boots for the Wehrmacht. The exhibition presents the history of the camp in chronological order, with documents, photographs and personal belongings of the prisoners. A separate exhibition is dedicated to the special camp of the Soviet period — a history that was suppressed in the GDR for decades.

The reconstruction of the Jewish barracks illustrates the particular situation of Jewish prisoners, who were systematically treated worse than other prisoner groups. The museum also provides extensive documentation on this.

Audio Guide, Admission and Conduct

Admission to the memorial is free of charge. Audio guides are available in several languages, including German and English, for around 3 euros. They are recommended, particularly for areas that are difficult to contextualise without explanation. The visitor centre at the entrance also has left-luggage lockers and a small bookshop with publications on the history of the site.

For a complete visit taking in the museum, Station Z, the barracks and the outdoor grounds, you should allow at least three hours. Those who use the audio guides and take time with the exhibitions will need closer to four. Photography is permitted on the outdoor grounds. In certain buildings and exhibition areas, photography is prohibited; the relevant notices are clearly displayed on site.

A café is located outside the memorial grounds, just before the entrance. It is not a place for a leisurely lunch, but a brief pause is often helpful after such a visit. As for conduct on the grounds, the obvious applies: respectful behaviour, appropriate dress, no loud conversation on the Appellplatz or in the exhibition rooms.

Why This Day Trip Matters

Memorial visits are not tourist highlights in the conventional sense. You do not go to take photographs or to tick off a sight. You go in order to understand what happened, and to not forget it. Sachsenhausen is one of the most powerful sites in the Berlin region for this purpose — precisely because it presents both chapters of the twentieth century: the National Socialist policy of extermination and the Soviet practice of repression. Both parts belong to the history of the site, and both are addressed by the memorial.

Anyone staying in Berlin who wishes to understand more about the city and its history will find this day trip essential. Our Berlin holiday apartments are conveniently located near the S1 line, which runs directly to Oranienburg.