This sombre former concentration camp, 10km northwest of Weimar, has been preserved as a memorial site. Between 1937 and 1945, hidden from the awareness of Weimarers and surrounding villagers, some 56,500 of the 250,000 men, women and children who were incarcerated here were murdered. Visitors are encouraged to wander quietly and freely around the numerous intact structures. Tours are available.
Before you enter the main compound, you'll notice an enormous monument to your left, which you can walk right up to. The monument is perched atop a small mountain with remarkable views; publications from the museum store explain the symbolic significance of its many elements.
The camp's prisoners included Jews and homosexuals from 18 nations, German anti-fascists, prominent German thinkers and social democrats, and Soviet and Polish prisoners of war. Many were exploited in the production of weapons, subject to torture and medical experimentation or sent on death marches. On 11 April 1945, as US troops approached and the SS guards fled, the emaciated prisoners rebelled, overwhelming the remaining guards and liberating themselves.
After the war, Soviet victors re-utilised the site as Special Camp No 2 and worked 7000 so-called anti-communists and ex-Nazis to death. Their bodies were found in mass graves north of the camp and near the Hauptbahnhof.
To get here, take bus 6 (direction Buchenwald) from Goetheplatz in Weimar. By car, head north on Ettersburger Strasse from Weimar station and turn left onto Blutstrasse.
