Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp

Our visit to Sachsenhausen Concentration camp was as one would expect – dark and somber.

The remnants of the horror of pure evil that happened there were still visible pretty much everywhere we looked. Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp was designed to be, “The perfect concentration camp.” It is shocking that person could ever take pride in creating a hell on earth, but they were proud of their “accomplishment.” The main gate even had a cruel lie as people walked by the words “Arbeit Macht Frei” which translates to “Work sets you free.” Did even one person believe the promise the gate displayed?

The people who worked at the camp were just twisted. I will not even describe some of the things they did because they are too horrible to repeat on this blog, however there are lists of the workers and their crimes are available online. It is hard to understand how one human made in the image of God could ever be so persuaded to act so cruelly and violently to another and somehow be persuaded that it was right or moral. Visiting the concentration camp left its mark on me personally. The depth of evil the human heart is capable of was so visible here.

 

It is also apparent that some Germans are still full of shame from the crimes committed during the WWII.  In a conversation with a German it was described to me an instance where Germany had just won a soccer championship and many people were driving around with German flags on their cars. This did not seem different to me as I see this all the time in Chicago. However, this German stated, “I have never seen people fly the German flag in pride, I guess some of us are starting to get over the shame from the war and be proud of our country.”

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