Remembering Those Who We Have Lost | Neyah Johnson

Prisoners’ Camp Entrance “Tower A”

After a morning of class, the E3 group prepared for our afternoon tour. We embarked on a long journey made up of two brief train rides, followed by a longer one and finally we board an overcrowded bus filled with the stench of must and filth. A short walk brings us to our final destination, the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. The first steps onto the museum’s grounds immediately have my heart heavy as I think about the hardship that many individuals faced in the mid 1900’s.

Our tour guide was extremely informative on the conditions and history of the concentration camp, but she was also knowledgeable on the political events that occurred while concentrations camps were in use. In 1933, Adolf Hitler came into power and after the Reichstag burning in February of 1933 concentration camps were put in use to hold political opponents and intellectuals who were opposed to Hitler’s ideology. The Schutzstaffel, or SS, served as Hitler’s personal bodyguards and they were also given the role of guarding the prisoners of Sachsenhausen. The main area of the concentration camp housed the barracks for the prisoners, as well as their infirmary and the commandant’s headquarters. Just behind this area was the living quarters and training facility for the SS troops, and near this area was the Concentration Camps Inspection facility where new rules and guidelines were discussed.

“Death by labor” is a motto that was practiced frequently in Sachsenhausen and I was truly unaware of this practice. The working conditions in the concentration camp were brutal to say the least. Brickworks is a company near the camp grounds where prisoners worked to build brick stone. The average lifespan of workers in this factory was 6 to 8 weeks, as a result to the lack of food and healthcare. Over 35,000 people were said to never make it out of this camp again.

Visiting the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was one of the most memorable experiences that I have had on this trip. Being able to step foot into the place where thousands were held against their will was emotional, but it was a educational experience. I was able to learn more about the working conditions and structure of concentration camps in Germany. I definitely valued the opportunity to remember those who we have lost as a result of concentration camps, such as Sachsenhausen.