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Sachsenhausen 3 | VJF 2.5 | 2018-08-13 - 2018-09-02 | STUD,ENVI | Age: 18 - 26

 

Sachsenhausen was one of the earliest concentration camps in Germany, built in 1936. For example German people who were in opposition to Nazi policy, homosexuals, so-called asocials, criminals, Jews, and during the war especially people from occupied countries were imprisoned, forced to work and a lot of them were murdered. Between 1945 and 1950 a part of this area was used as a so-called Special Camp of the Soviet Secret Service. Now it is a place for studies and to commemorate the victims: the memorial site “Gedenkstätte and Museum Sachsenhausen” (“Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen”). Please inform yourself before the camp on this site: http://www.stiftung-bg.de/gums/en/index.htm

Work: Study part: Besides the manual work the study component will be an important part of our project. Volunteers will learn a lot about the time of National Socialism, the Holocaust and also something about the period after World War II especially the Soviet camp Sachsenhausen until 1950. Guided tours in and around the memorial site Sachsenhausen and excursions to different memorials and places of earlier German history are planned. Volunteers will have the opportunity to work in the exhibitions and in the library of the memorial site. Furthermore there will be several discussions with employees who perform guided tours and are involved in historical research. The international volunteers with their different backgrounds will inform the group about the memories and commemoration in their countries. All participants should have a very good knowledge of the English language and should be very interested in history and the present problems of neo-fascism and racism. Work part: The common learning at the historical site of Sachsenhausen shall be supplemented by manual work which constitutes the participant´s contribution to the maintenance of the memorial. This part will be rather small.

Accomodation and food: You will be accommodated in a youth hostel. The building is on the grounds of historical Sachsenhausen concentration camp complex, and was built in 1938 as the official residence of the "Concentration Camp Inspector", 2 km away from the memorial centre. In the hostel there is a big kitchen for the group.

Location: Oranienburg

Location and Leisure: Sachsenhausen is a part of Oranienburg, ca. 33 km to the north of Berlin.

Train/Bus station: S Oranienburg

Requirements: Important! For this project it is necessary to have good or very good English skills!!! German skills are beneficial. Please prepare at home a short presentation about your country, including the history of your home country and the view on German history. Volunteers have to be able to ride a bike, because various shorter and longer bicycle-tours are planned.

Language: eng

Extra Fee: 0