Today I feel I have truely learned the definition of propaganda. I joined a tour group and visited Sachsenhausen Memorial north of Berlin. There was so much to learn. Hard lessons to learn, difficult stories to hear, sad sites to see and still a memorable day. There are no words to describe the atmosphere and the tragedies that took place at the camp. Some photos will include captions of details I learned from our guide.
A model of the 100,000 acre complex. The triangle shaped area is the site of the camp. Built in this shape so all areas could be seen at all times. I have never been a student of math but I believe this concept is referred to as panopticon.
The first sign seen....translation....Work Makes You Free. As I said propaganda at each angle. The camp was also referred to as a Re-education through work camp....more propaganda.
This building was called the Green Monster by the prisoners. Captives from Northern Europe were given more advantages until their ultimate demise. They lived here and served the SS trainees. The general inmate population considered them dangerous and traitors. Yet, those living here were killed at the whim of the SS trainees they were serving.
The two photos above picture artwork on the kitchen walls. Prisoners used vegetables to make paint. They hid the drawing behind piles of supplies. It is believed that many of the drawings were created by the German animator Hans Fischerkosen who was arrested because of his creative work.
Every group of persecuted people were lied to during their capture and imprisonment. The photo above is evidence of one of the worst illusions. They were told they were receiving a medical screening. The guards were dressed in white coats and spoke medical terms. Each one stood in front of here thinking their height was being measured. A guard was behind the wall and would shoot them in the neck as they stepped up to be measured. The floor was cleaned and the next person ushered in.
This killing ditch was built in 1939, using logs to muffle the sounds of the executions.
Some of the political prisoners who were executed in the killing ditch. These photos were plastered in towns and citizens were told that they were being protected from these people. A prisoner who was a photographer was given the job of taking the photos for propaganda. What the guards did not know is that he was also taking photos of the tortue and cruelty. At the Nurmemburg Trials he walked into the room a frail man carrying piles of photos. The photos helped document what really went on at the camp.
Propaganda continued even after the camp was liberated. Memorials were installed during different decades. More recent memorials are more targeted to the different groups (Slavs, Gypsies, Southern Europeans, Homosexuals, Political adversaries, Jews, Single mothers and more) who were persecuted and the actual tragedies that occurred.
April 21, 1945 the Death March started because the camp was liberated. Prisoners were marched along the routes diagramed above. Most perished during the March.
Those too sick to leave the camp were left to die. (see photo below) 
The six unmarked graves you see above were memorialized in 1995. When the camp was liberated people were left to starve and die of diseases. In 1995 a survivor returned to face the location of his torture and he recalled the shallow graves that were dug and filled with over 300 people who were left to die after the camp was liberated. These six markers indicate the mass burial. Our guide summed it up well as we left the complex.....we must remember the past so we can help our future.
If you would like to learn more check these sites;
http://www.stiftung-bg.de/gums/
http://www.ushmm.org/outreach/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007697
Books;
Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl (my son recommended I read this before my trip and I am so glad he did)
If This is a Man by Primo Levi (recommended by our guide)
Film;
The Counterfeiters
www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwr9nCurEEQ
The Counterfeiters Movie trailer Director: Stefan Ruzowitzky
There is not much to say. It is such a dark mark in the history of mankind. But it is important for us to never forget.
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