Guided tours for groups

Procedure of the guided tours

The guides walk the grounds of the former Prisoners of War and concentration camp together with the group. Using historical sources, maps and biographies, as well as a visit to the permanent exhibition and discussions in the seminar room, participants are given an overview of the site and learn about the historical context.

The history of the site is embedded in the context of the general history of the Nazi era, Nazi persecution policy, the Nazi camp system, the so-called people's community (Volksgemeinschaft), the Second World War and the war of annihilation against the Soviet Union. The history of the survivors after liberation and their life in the nearby Displaced Persons camp is part of the event, as is the history of the memorial and the socio-political treatment of the site.

The order and scope of the individual components of a guided tour vary. They are based on the prior knowledge and needs of the participants.

Please note:

• A visit to the permanent exhibition is part of the programme of every guided tour. The history of the POW and concentration camp and the Displaced Persons camp is documented here. Participants can look forward to a wide range of photos, interviews with eye witnesses, documents and artefacts.
• The Prisoners of War cemetery in Hörsten and the loading platform in Bergen are not part of our guided tours.
• Barracks, watchtowers and fences were demolished shortly after the camps were liberated, so there are few visible remains of the camps on today's memorial site.
• The memorial is a place of remembrance and a cemetery.