Commemoration of the 80th Anniversary of Concentration Camp Liberation

This weekend marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps in Germany, a poignant moment in history that ended the atrocities committed during World War II. Various events are being organized to honor the victims of the Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück camps, where countless lives were tragically lost.

On this significant occasion, exhibitions, readings, and memorial services are scheduled, with major commemorative events taking place on Sunday in both Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück. Berlin's Governing Mayor, Kai Wegner, along with Brandenburg's Minister President, Dietmar Woidke, are expected to attend the event at Sachsenhausen. Meanwhile, in Ravensbrück, Claudia Roth, the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media, will deliver a message of remembrance.

In late April 1945, both camps were liberated by the Red Army. Sachsenhausen, operational from 1936 to 1945, saw the incarceration of over 200,000 individuals, with at least 55,000 losing their lives due to the inhumane conditions or being murdered by the SS. Ravensbrück, established in 1939 by the Nazi SS, became the largest female concentration camp in Germany, later housing male prisoners as well. Between 1939 and 1945, the camp held more than 120,000 women, 20,000 men, and around 1,200 young women, with tens of thousands succumbing to murder, starvation, illness, or medical experimentation.

In preparation for the central memorial service, the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation has requested that attendees refrain from displaying banners, flags, or clothing with political messages. They emphasized that any individuals expressing antidemocratic, racist, antisemitic, or other statements contrary to the foundation's mission may be excluded from the event.