1. From Berlin: Half-Day Sachsenhausen Memorial Walking Tour
Take a trip to the Sachsenhausen Memorial and learn about a somber but important chapter in Germany's history. Constructed in 1936 by the SS, it was built to detain all opposition to the Nazi regime. After meeting your guide in Berlin, hop on a train to Oranienburg, approximately 25 minutes outside of Berlin. Arrive at Sachsenhausen Memorial Site after a 30-minute stroll from the train station. Start your guided experience at the Camp Administration Center, now an on-site museum, but formerly the base for overseeing the Third Reich’s 32 main camps and 1000+ satellite camps. As you tour the site, find out from your guide about what conditions were like inside the camp, the infamous ‘Death March’ ahead of the camp’s liberation in 1945, and how the camp was used by the Soviets afterward. Listen to stories of revolt by Jewish prisoners in 1942, defiance by British prisoners of war, and sabotage by Soviet and Polish prisoners. Hear first-hand about the people there: different prisoner groups, their fates, and familiar names imprisoned in the camp, including Stalin’s son. After the tour, be accompanied by your guide back to the center of Berlin. Sites that might be visited on the tour include the following: • Camp Administration Center (formerly the Concentration Camps Inspectorate) • Station Z • Watchtower • Commandant's House • Jewish Barracks • Punishment Cells • Pathology Laboratory • Infirmary • Special Camp 1/7 • SS Training Camp • Gallows