Walking through the front gate was a very awakening experience. Seeing the writing on the barred gate: “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work sets you free). I heard this saying from history classes and I had seen it in many historical movies, however seeing it in person was very different experience. It brought a real realization that many people who had walked through that gate died on the other side. The gate gave a little hope of freedom that very few actually received. Once through the gate, I could see that the wall and guard towers wrap all the way around and that there was really only one entrance. I can’t imagine what people would have thought back then when they walked through the gate.
In that experience, I learned that Sachsenhausen held many prisoners of war as well as Jews. Also, I learned that there were many experiments done on the prisoners in the infirmary. It made it sort of eerie to walk through the infirmary, to realize it was used for the opposite reason to help the people forced to stay there. It was, in a way, relieving to leave the camp because of all the oppression that occurred there, however I am glad that I was able to see it.
In the center of the camp, there was a monument that listed 18 countries that where affected by this camp. The list really showed how WWII affected all of Europe. It is a great encouragement to see how Germany is now after these horrific events, also, how Europe has grown very unified with how history has been.
Interesting comment about feeling the oppression from past atrocities that were committed there. I felt the same way when I went-32 years ago!