I was born in Dusseldorf and that is why they call me Rolf

July 10, 2009 11:02 AM

What Nazi concentration camp should I visit near Dusseldorf?

(For a friend.) A friend will be in Dusseldorf, Germany, for a short period and would like to visit a Nazi concentration camp. From what I can tell, the only nearby choices are the minor camps of Hinzert and Breitenau. Has anyone been to either or both of these camps, or traveled from Dusseldorf to another camp that was interesting? Quick answers appreciated. Thanks!

posted by grobstein to travel & transportation around Dusseldorf, Germany (3 answers total)

(Assume he can travel either by motorcycle or public transit.)
posted by grobstein at 11:07 AM on July 10, 2009

The map you linked to doesn't show all concentration camps. Germany - a memorial claims to list all camps, and they have detailed maps. The information is in German, but maybe the maps will help?

Here is the map for Düsseldorf, and you can click on N(orden), O(sten), S(üden), W(esten) [North, East, South, West] to see the surrounding area. Hover your mouse over the black squares to get information on what kind of camp it was.

I found one camp in Düsseldorf that was associated with Buchenwald, but I don't know if it still exists or if you can visit it.

I've only been to two concentration camp memorials in Northern Germany, one of which is Bergen-Belsen. There is not much left of the concentration camp buildings, but they have a very good museum with an exhibition, films, interviews and the like. It is somewhat famous because Anne Frank and her sister Margot died there.

Bergen-Belsen is about 200 miles from Düsseldorf, which takes a little over three hours by car.

I recommend visiting the memorial in Bergen-Belsen, but don't know if it's too far for your friend to drive. Maybe someone else can say more about the camps near Düsseldorf.
posted by amf at 2:07 PM on July 10, 2009

How much time does he have? It would be hard to visit the places you listed in a day from Dusseldorf, especially on public transport, according to bahn.de and Google Maps.

Bergen-Belsen would be about 3-4 hours away by motorcycle, between Hannover and Hamburg; Hinzert is 2 1/2 hours south by motorcycle, near the border with France and Luxembourg; Breitenau is further, closer to four hours on a train, near Kassel.

Perhaps some of the transit or internment camp memorials in the Netherlands or Belgium would be closer. Here's a list from the US Holocaust Memorial Museum
posted by mdonley at 2:21 PM on July 10, 2009