Bergen - Belsen, KZ - Gedenkstätte

The memorial is located on the site of the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. Historians estimate that around 52,000 dead are buried in 14 mass graves. Officially recorded by the Lüneburg district government are 23,215 dead. From 1940-1943, there was a prisoner of war camp here, which was mainly occupied by Russian prisoners of war. In 1943, the camp was handed over to the SS, who turned it into a detention camp for Jews who were to be exchanged for interned Germans. From 1944, the camp was also used to house inmates from various concentration camps who were unable to work. in 1944, the camp was enlarged and converted into a concentration camp, and from January 1945 onwards, countless prisoners were transferred to the camp from concentration camps close to the front without the conditions for accommodation being available. This resulted in unbearable overcrowding, hunger, epidemics and high mortality rates. On April 15, 1945, the camp was liberated by British troops. They tried to save those still alive. In May 1945, the camp was burnt down due to the risk of epidemics. In 1946, the British military government erected an inscription wall and an obelisk in memory of those who died here. Photos: Volker Fleig 2012