Which death camp is the most interesting to visit in germany/poland.?

Question

No, not for kicks. I mean good museum, and deep experience.

Answer 1

The people that wrote Berlin are the most correct I think. There are many items in the Berlin area.

You can see Wannsee where the Wannsee Conference took place-it made me cry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wannsee_Protocol

Then Sachsenhausen concentration camp is very well preserved-but it made me cry.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sachsenhausen_concentration_camp

The Jüdisches Museum-Berlin was well done too.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_Museum_Berlin

Topographie des Terrors is a museum of the Nazi regime.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topography_of_Terror

You can go to Bebelplatz where the book burning took place.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bebelplatz

It is possible to see museum exhibits on entartete Kunst-degenerate art-modern art that was banned by the Nazis.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entartete_Kunst

Then you can also see the Stasi prison Gedenkstätte Berlin-Hohenschönhausen.
This gives chills.
http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Gedenkst%C3%A4tte_Berlin-Hohensch%C3%B6nhausen

Answer 2

I had been to Dachau outside Munich and while the horrific events are well-chronicled and the camp preserved, there was something very clean and sterile that I didn't fully comprehend until my visit to Auschwitz-Birkenau. I was in Poland with the Peace Corps teaching English in a high school east of Warsaw. I knew this visit was something I wanted to do and while many Poles understood the curiosity factor, I didn't let on to my friends and colleagues where I was going that weekend. It was very strange to live in a place where that experience was still alive in their parents' and grandparents' memories. I went with another Peace Corps volunteer and we ended up being dropped at a far corner of Birkenau. We crossed a small ravine through the snow and when we came up the other side, the rows and rows of long buildings stretched before us. Many of the buildings were falling apart but stepping inside made you feel like you were there -- the wooden multi-tiered "beds", the sayings painted in Polish and German like "one louse (lice), your death" supposedly encouraging cleanliness. The destroyed crematoriums were now piles of cement blocks looking more oppresive with their coatings of fresh snow. I had a sick feeling in my stomach when I saw the train "station" that I'd seen in films where the tracks come in under the building and into the camp itself. We eventually made it to the actual museum in Auschwitz about a mile away (distance is a guess) and that was where there was lots of historical information and the exhibits called "evidence of the crimes". These are the piles of glasses, toothbrushes, etc. that many people remember about their visit. They have lots of details - list of prisoners, photos, film, etc. If you go, I recommend that you walk between Auschwitz and Birkenau on the route that many walked to their death (instead of the shuttle). I went again with some visitors to Poland later in the summer and while it still affected me, I'll never forget that snowy walk through the countryside where I contemplated all the souls lost.

Answer 3

well in poland obviously Auschwitz. In Germany I went to both Buchenwald and Dachau. I liked Dachau better, it was more compact which was good because it was winter, and also the exhibits were more interesting. They had a lot of info and it was sad because I didn't have enough time to read it all before it closed. And I've never been there, but Bergen-Belsen is where Anne Frank died.

Answer 4

That is definitely a rough decision if you cannot do both. Auschwitz is one that has to be visited in your lifetime, but I also think Nuremburg will have the same effect as far as being powerful. There a quite a few in Germany, but Nuremburg is the most powerful one there. Either way you will have an eye opening experience.

Answer 5

I like dachau it has a good museum and self guided tour.

Additionaly the checkpoint charlie musem is a very nice visit if you are in berlin. Many good stories there, and somewhat more focused on the perseverance than the persucution.

Answer 6

I would suggest Dachau in southern Germany. It has a very good museum and the grounds are still very much in tact. It also has some beautiful monuments. Very respectful and educational experience...

Answer 7

Sachsenhausen is not far from Berlin.
In Berlin you can visit 'Topography of Terror' where the Gestapo HQ used to be. The Plötzensee memorial where many enemies of the Nazis were murdered and the Wansee Conference House memorial where the 'Final solution' was planned.

You might like to look at this http://www.berlin-explored.com check out the 'contents pages' to see if it may be of use to you.

Answer 8

Germany: Dachau (outside of Munich) - mostly a political camp
Sachsenhausen (outside of Berlin)- mostly experimental (medical torture) camp

Answer 9

For me it is Buchenwald near Weimar.

First because the nearby town is essentially Germany in a nutshell. (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weimar )

Second, because Buchenwald continued to be used after WW II as a Death Camp. The only difference was that it was under Russian administration.

Answer 10

Well.... i would say Auschwitz and Birkenau in poland.
They have a good museum.Its a very deep and touching experience, its good to have a guide there coz then u get to see more and u hear stories and u see pictures.