Remembering Nazi crimes in times of current socio-political challenges

CODE: DE-SCI 1.5

Work:

The work part and study part are roughly equally weighted in this camp.

The practical work is concerned with the maintenance of the ‘Buchenwald Railway Memorial Trail’, i.e. the cleaning of a forest road. There may also be work with wood to clear the track. One focus is on stonemasonry work in memory of children and young people deported from Buchenwald, including from its satellite camps, to Auschwitz.

While working in the restoration workshop, participants can gain an impression of conservation and restoration techniques and take an in-depth look at historical objects found in the grounds and their function in the camp.

The work is rated as easy to moderately difficult.

Accommodation and food

The accommodation is located in the International Educational Centre on the grounds of the Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial. The participants are mostly accommodated in 2-3 bed rooms in a former SS barrack. The building has been modernised since 2007, and has showers and toilets in the rooms.

Participants cook and eat together in their own camp kitchen, while the responsible teams and memorial staff take care of shopping for groceries.

Location and leisure

Buchenwald Concentration Camp Memorial. The memorial is located around 9 kilometres from the city of Weimar, 20 kilometres from Weimar you will find the beautiful cities of Erfurt (Thuringia's state capital) and Jena, a well-known student city.

In your free time you can enjoy a variety of activities both at the International Educational Centre and in the nearby city of Weimar: sports, group games, movie nights, and informal social gatherings. Also excursions to Weimar provide opportunities to explore its rich cultural heritage, including museums, historic sites, parks, cafés, and cultural events. Weimar is known for its cultural appeal. World-famous museums are dedicated to famous personalities such as Johann W. von Goethe, Friedrich Schiller and Friedrich Nietzsche. The Bauhaus-Museum Weimar also highlights the city’s importance for modern art and design. In addition, a visit to the Museum of Forced Labor under National Socialism offers the opportunity to deepen knowledge about this topic and to further explore the historical themes addressed during the camp.

Weimar's central location in Germany makes it easy to travel by train to other cities at the weekend, such as Erfurt (25 km), Jena (25 km), Leipzig (140 km), Berlin (384 km) or even Prague (310 km).

Requirements: At least a good command of English. Interest in the history of National Socialism and current social and political issues, initiative, openness to different perspectives and a sense of responsibility for you and others.