Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies
chgs@umn.edu
612-624-0256

Genocide in Our Time

Buchenwald Concentration Camp

Buchenwald, a German concentration camp for political prisoners was established outside the city of Weimar in Thuringia in July 1937. Unlike other camps that carried the slogan "Arbeit Macht Frei," Buchenwald's entrance carried the slogan "Jedem das Seine" ("To Each his Own)." At the time of its liberation on 11 April 1945, it contained prisoners from at least inmates of 51 nationalities:

One of its most famous end of war prisoners was Nobel Prize winner Eli Wiesel. Also included were American POWs. The number of victims is put at 56,545 according to Nazi records on the camp, which was not an extermination camp as the camps in occupied Poland. Rather its main purpose was slave labor.

As the area where Buchenwald is found became part of the Soviet occupation zone of Germany and the DDR, it was used as camp for anti-Communists until February 10, 1950. Therefore, like several other camps, it has a double history. As many as 22,000 inmates died under Soviet rule in the camp.

For other CHGS pages on Buchenwald, see:

Edward R. Murrow's famous report from Buchenwald, 1945:

The photos on this page were taken by Stephen Feinstein during a tour of the camp with artist Horst Hoheisel of Kassel, who has created several monuments in Buchenwald and Weimar.

Old Buchenwald Monument

The old Monument at Buchenwald built by the Soviet Union commemorates victims from 13 countries of origin but not Jews specifically.The old monument is now visited infrequently, especially since information has been revealed about the number of deaths at Soviet and DDR hands.The monument was designed by Fritz Cremer and dedicated on September 14, 1958. The hill at Ettersburg within the monument contains ashes of victims from Buchenwald and other camps.

The style of the monument is as follws:

General style: Classicism and socialist realism.
Entrance in the form of a Greek temple.
Group to stelle with friezes showing the "Fascist" brutality in the camp.
The stelle descent down a hill.
At the bottom of the hill, two fire pits on each end of a long walk connected by ceremonial urns on bases with each country of origin indicated.
Rise up steps to Bell Tower and sculptural ensemble of vistims and liberators.

Photos from Summer 2007

Map of Buchenwald	Entrance to Buchenwald and clock frozen at time of liberation	Entrance to Buchenwald and clock frozen at time of liberation	Entrance gate: "Jedem das seine," ("To Each his Own")
Entrance gate: "Jedem das seine," ("To Each his Own")	Entrance gate: "Jedem das seine," ("To Each his Own")	Blood road built by inmates near ramp	Former roadbed of the railway ramp
Housing for German Shephard dogs of the SS (1938)	Housing for German Shephard dogs of the SS (1938)	Housing for German Shephard dogs of the SS (1938)	Inside the camp
Inside camp. Most original buildings are gone.	Inside camp	Inside camp	Artist Horst Hoheisel of Kassel and his monument to the original Buchenwald Memorial built by Camp survivors in April 1945.
Hoheisel's Monument	Hoheisel's Monument	Hoheisel's Monument	Hoheisel's Monument
Hoheisel's Monument	Hoheisel's Monument	Hoheisel's Monument	Hoheisel's Monument
Jewish memorial in three languages	Jewish memorial in three languages	Jewish memorial in three languages	Block 8
Block removed	Sinti and Roma Memorial at Buchenwald	Sinti and Roma Memorial at Buchenwald	Sinti and Roma Memorial at Buchenwald
Sinti and Roma Memorial	Sinti and Roma Memorial	Storage house and latrine in foreground (inside restored brick)	Explanation of Buchenwald Little Camp. Photo of inmates including Eli Wiesel at Liberation.
Memorial to Victims in the Little Camp, Architect Steven B. Jacobs, New York	Text about Little Camp	Text about Little Camp	Memorial to Little Camp detail and cities of origin of victims
Little camp details and architects/sponsors	Little camp details and architects/sponsors	Little camp details and architects/sponsors	Little camp details and architects/sponsors
Little Camp memorial	Pylons that held electric fence	Restoration work creates ethical question	Latrine
Memorial to Political Prisoners killed during the Soviet period of the camp, 1945-1950. Stainless steel poles commemorate each victim shot in the forest area. Each pole is numbered at the base.	Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners
Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners
Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners	Memorial to Political Prisoners
Crematorium	Memorial to murdered Jews	Memorial to murdered Jews	SS baracks outside camp near entrance

Original Buchenwald Memorial Images

Entrance in form of a Greek Temple	Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp	Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp	Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp
Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp	Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp	Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp	Six Stellae describing Fascist (Nazi) cruelty in the camp
Urns and pedestels commemoration 17 countries of origin of victims	Fire pit	Second fire pit and bell tower	Bell tower from below
Sculpture of victims and partisan fighters at Bell Tower overlooks countryside near Weimar	Sculpture of victims and partisan fighters at Bell Tower overlooks countryside near Weimar	Sculpture of victims and partisan fighters at Bell Tower overlooks countryside near Weimar	Sculpture of victims and partisan fighters at Bell Tower overlooks countryside near Weimar