Notes on Sachsenhausen:

Having read so many books based on the atrocities of The Holocaust, I was very intrigued in going to a concentration camp.  But I must say, I was not prepared for what was in store for me.  Walking up to the camp, I felt an awful feeling of anger and stress.  If I would have allowed myself to, I could have had an anxiety attack right there.  These feelings were awfully strong, and difficult to keep away. 

I felt oddly peaceful at the same time as I was angered.  The breeze in the air, the trees surrounding the camp, and the brush of the flowers and grass gave the camp a beautiful and peaceful feeling, and then I remembered where I was.

Why am I here? was one thought I always came back to.  What am I looking for?  Is this for knowledge or feeling safe?  Am I here to feel sorrow for those who have been lost or to see the ways they were murdered?

Most of the time I refrained from slapping other people fr disrespecting the area; coffee cups and trash left in exhibits, awful drawings left in the dirt, and lack of compassion for where we were.  I feel pity for them.

--Donna

I’m not sure if I have an idea why, but I’ve always wanted to visit a concentration camp.  I guess it is because you read and hear about the horrors of WWII so much.  You are just curious.  But once I got there, I only had one thought—WHY?  Every time I saw, read, or even thought about what happened here, I became angry at humanity as a whole.  Anyways, it was extremely interesting (and depressing) to see the ‘model camp” which Sachsenhausen was during The Holocaust.  It was also interesting to see what happened after WWII, when it was being used as a prison camp by the Soviets.  Altogether, it was an extremely interesting experience, even though and angering and depressing one.

--Jasper

The moral is necessary and sad.  Necessary for the human mind to remember, to conquer the fear of losing humanity is only to be prevented by remembrance.  I took it in, but I didn’t take it in too deeply.  But I won’t be one of the people to forget—ever.  The atrocities that went on can be repeated if we lose control.  The memorial was not the most elaborate but it’s doing it’s job—offering the message to the next generation.

--Kyle

I think that the trip was absolutely wonderful as a whole.  Such a trip can be awesome or terrible, depending on the people.  I was very glad our group was so quiet, responsible, and reflective during the time we were in Sachsenhausen.  The experience itself, though, I’d say was probably one of the best so far in Germany.  To read and hear about something is much different than directly experiencing it for yourself.  The concentration camp just put things into perspective for me.  Seeing how large the camp was and just imagining tens of thousands of people imprisoned was really impactful.  I also learned that Auschwitz was the major camp that was responsible for the naming of the term “death camp”.  I think that we all should visit one, or maybe have a simulation, because it made me think of how bad living conditions were.  People often joke around about such concentration camps but I’m sure visiting one for real will stop that immediately.  The art and happy day after was also well-planned and seemed to work well for a day.  I think more of a talk when finished would have been nice though.

--Cam