A few kilometers outside of Weimar, in the forest of the Ettersberg, is field of rubble and stone. Concrete spires with the remains of barbed-wire are visible on all sides but one. The far side of the field has been reclaimed by the surrounding flora. The main gate that overlooks this field of rubble has a clock on its tower eternally frozen at 3:15, the moment of liberation. KL-Buchenwald at that moment ceased its existence as an extermination camp and was entered into evidence for future generations of just how cruel humans can be. The main gate of KL-Buchenwald still bears the phrase “Jedem des Seine” (to each their own). The gate also used to have a sign that said “Recht oder Unrecht – Mein Vaterland” (right or wrong – my fatherland).

There were three things at the camp that struck an unnerving chord. The first is a measuring stick in a “clinic” where prisoners were told to stand. Believing that only their hight was being measured the prisoner would oblige. A shot would barrel through their skull a moment later. Behind the measuring bar was a slot, where an SS officer with a gun would stand, and shoot through the slot. The officer would never face his victim. The victim would never see it coming.

The second element was the zoo enclosure for bears placed directly next to the outside of the camp. It was installed to improve morale among the SS officers working in the camp. It also served as a reminder to the prisoners. The prisoners in the camp were treated worse than the bears who lived outside the camp. They were less than human. They were less than animals to the Nazi regime.

Being 60+ years removed from this event and only experiencing it in an academic way made it difficult to truly connect with this event. The last item on the guided tour is a steel memorial embedded into the ground. It bears the names of all the countries who had victims perish in the camp. It is a rather unassuming monument until it is touched. The monument is heated to 98.3 degrees Fahrenheit and kept constant. It is the temperature of the human body. All that transpired within the camp suddenly came to en epoch, a grim realization that though these people are dead, they live on in the hearts and memories of others. It was extremely difficult to stay composed.

As promised I have posted my full collection of Konzentrationslager-Buchenwald photos.