History. Made. Conscious: Liberation - And then what?

A path through Buchenwald on the 80th anniversary of the liberation on 16 April 2023 (start: 1:30 p.m.)

Many different people and initiatives are involved in remembering and analysing the history of Buchenwald Concentration Camp. Together with this network, the memorial organises the "History. Awareness. Make. A path through Buchenwald". The trail visits various historical sites, the significance of which is explained by recitations and statements and accompanied by an outdoor exhibition.

The image depicts a scene in a medical or emergency care setting. Two men in uniform are attending to a patient lying under a checkered blanket. The man on the right is leaning over the patient, seemingly checking vital signs or providing assistance, while the man on the left is preparing an intravenous drip. In the background, there is a window with an old frame, and below it, a radiator is visible. The setting appears simple and functional, possibly in a military or emergency response context. The posture of the two men suggests that they are providing professional and attentive care to the patient.

SAVING LIVES Station 1 des Rundgangs

The American journalist Percy Knauth describes the immediate medical measures taken after liberation: “They lay there quietly, their dark eyes fixed on the ceiling as the soothing heat went into them; what they were thinking God only knows. […]...

vevon Sponsor for this Station:

Association for the Remembrance of the Denied Victims of National Socialism e. V.

EL-DE-Haus e.V., Köln The sponsor for this station is:

The EL-DE-Haus association was founded in January 1988. It has set itself the task of actively supporting the NS-DOK and developing its own projects to come to terms with the Nazi era in Cologne.

MANAGING THE CAMP Station 2

The French liaison officer Sonia Vagliano describes the co-operation between Schmuhl’s successor, the American camp commander Captain Peter Ball, and the International Camp Committee: “The internal administration of Buchenwald turns out to be simpler...

REPORTING FROM BUCHENWALD Station 3

Walter Bartel, a German survivor and member of the International Camp Committee, describes the Committee’s press work after liberation: “After the Americans marched into the camp, there was an invasion of correspondents from every country, radio...

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Initiative on the Halle Subcamp The sponsor for this station is

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WORKING IN THE LIBERATED CAMP Station 4

Clinton C. Gardner, acting American camp commander from May to early July 1945, describes the deployment of Weimar residents in the liberated camp according to orders from the U.S. Army: “My first job was the cleaning of the camp, removal of all...

LEAVING THE CAMP Station 5

The Frenchman Jean Puissant describes the moment of his departure from Buchenwald: “The next evening, 20 April 1945, as we were preparing a hearty meal in our charming little room, the sound of engines under our windows, squealing brakes, shouting,...

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