#13 Buchenwald and Weimar

 

The aftermath of the Holocaust and World War II have profoundly shaped German society and its education system as a whole. The specific facts are taught mostly in the curriculum of 7^th-10^th grade, and almost every student goes on a field trip to a concentration camp memorial at some point. Today it was our partner school’s 10^th graders turn to go on such a field trip to Buchenwald (near Weimar, about two hours away from Leipzig). The school allowed our students and their GAPP partners to tag along. We prepped our students for the experience as much as possible yesterday, but nothing can really prepare you for an experience like that.

From the moment the introductory film started playing, everyone fell quiet and became aware of the atrocities that took place in the very same spot where we were sitting. That feeling became all the more real as we entered the camp through the same gate the prisoners had to walk through and saw the infamous sign “Jedem das Seine” (to each his own). Other camps’ gates, such as in Auschwitz and Dachau, say the even more infamous and infuriating slogan “Arbeit macht frei” (work sets your free).

For the next two hours, we walked around the grounds and read the signs that informed visitors what used to be in the buildings that are no longer standing. What always gets me whenever I am at a concentration camp memorial is how peaceful everything is now, like a park. If one didn’t know the history of those places, one might wonder why there aren’t any children running around, playing soccer, or riding their bikes. There are flowers blooming through the rubble that was left there on purpose, and the birds were singing, making me wonder if the prisoners heard the same songs while looking at the same trees we saw today. As one student observed, “This tree saw everything.”

Anyway, here’s what Ashley, Jayden, and Hallie experienced today.

Ashley writes:

Today was a very interesting day. The GAPP students as well as other 10^th graders visited the Buchenwald concentration camp near the city of Weimar. We took two charter buses to the camp in the morning. The concentration camp was not what I expected at all; it was mostly empty with numerous plaques describing what once had been. The most interesting part of the camp in my opinion was the former registration building where inmates were assigned items such as clothes, shoes, and their number. It was transformed into a museum with various artifacts and videos. It was a few stories high, and everything was in plastic or glass cases.

After visiting the camp, the buses took us into Weimar for some exploring and to get some food. The city itself is such a beautiful place to be in, and I greatly enjoyed experiencing it.

Jayden writes:

Today we went to Buchenwald with the 10th graders. It was heartbreaking to walk around the concentration camp and try to understand the tragedies that happened there. It really touched everyone there as we saw each area of Buchenwald. We learned about all the different people that died there. We saw the barracks that housed the prisoners and talked about how many people were meant to stay in one barrack. We then walked down to the “Little Camp,” which was the place where the prisoners faced the most suffering. Then we walked to the storage depot where the prisoners got their clothes with triangles and a number. The color of the triangles classified what type of prisoner they were. I also learned about how there were a lot of children there and many prisoners tried to protect them. While walking out of the camp, we passed the crematorium, but I couldn’t bring myself to go in after seeing everything else in the camp.

  

Once we left the memorial, we rode the bus to Weimar and got lunch at Dubai Döner. We each got a Döner Box and just stayed there until it was time to meet up again to leave. After we got back to Leipzig, some of us went to a small hippie store so we could buy some jewelry. Then Thalia and I went home and baked Papageienmuffins (parrot muffins). After the sad day, we talked to her mom about what we experienced today and decided to end our day with a fun movie night after baking.

Hallie writes:

Today we went to the Buchenwald concentration camp in Weimar. For starters, this was a very horrific place to go, and I had personally never been to a concentration camp. At first, we all watched a video of Buchenwald camp’s history and heard a few testimonies from survivors. This video was the first eye opener since it was the beginning of our journey of truly seeing this horrific place. Even while walking to the camp, I couldn’t help but think of how devastatingly drowned the place had been with death and hatred. I could practically feel death seeping out of the ground into the air. The somber looks on everyone’s faces on-site showed how horrified everyone was of the camp.

The first thing we saw inside the camp was a list of countries that the prisoners/victims had been from. That was the first heartbreaker since it showed how many different ethnicities were targeted. Next we began to walk around the chilling trail around the camp. For those who have not been to the camp, the only buildings left are the tall wide registration center where the victims would get their clothes, numbers, food, etc. Then there is a large building to the left which has a huge chimney that was the crematorium. As you walk around the camp, you see outlines of rubble, marking the barracks which were taken down. The most tragic scene that I saw was the “Little Camp” which included the information about the children in the camp. The most informative part of the camp was the inside of the registration building which was converted into a museum filled with documents.

These documents included witness testimonies of how they were transported to the camp and the beginning of the war and the racial segregation, leading to mass murder. In history class, we learn about the horrors of the Holocaust, but we never truly get to see how horrific the conditions actually were. But the most chilling part of the whole thing was that there were wild flowers that were sprinkled across the ground growing, which is unsettling because how could something so beautiful grow in a place so horrific? Also, to see how the place affected others (including myself) and how questions that are not usually asked were asked. Questions like: How could this happen? How can someone have so much hatred, even toward children? Why did no one stop this? Why were these people put through so much? Of course our teachers were very helpful to all the students, but it was still hard to digest it all. [Editorial note: Teachers/Germans will also never be fully able to digest it all, let alone understand it.]

But most importantly, I realized how aware Germans are of their country’s past. Like many other countries, you would think that Germany would shy away from their past, but instead they confront it. I respect this since they have realized that the past cannot be changed but the future can. They learn that while they do not need to feel guilty for what previous generations have done, they are responsible for making sure that a genocide of this magnitude can never happen again.

Phew, what a day. The trip to Buchenwald/Weimar was our final group activity, hopefully one that will have a lasting impact. Now the kids will spend the long Easter weekend with their host families. Some will travel, some will mee the grandparents, etc. We will keep you posted on the various weekend activities until the group meets up again on Monday morning to fly home.