"Create Visibility" Mittelbau-Dora Concentration Camp Memorial, Nordhausen
Description: The "Create Visibility" Work and Study camp with the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp memorial is actively involved in the design of the authentic site. The "Arbeitslager Dora" was founded in 1943 as a subcamp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. As part of the underground relocation of German armaments production, concentration camp inmates had to develop a tunnel system into an underground rocket factory in which the rocket propagated by the Nazi state as "V2/Vergeltungswaffe 2), was manufactured. Initially, the prisoners had to work and live in the tunnel system, and it was only later that an above-ground barracks camp was built. More than 60,000 people, had to perform forced labor for the German arms industry in this concentration camp complex. One in three of them died.
Type of Work: The work part will consist of excavation work and the visualization of a barrack foundation in the infirmary of the former prison camp. The work will take place outdoors in a shady wooded area. Large and heavy stones have to be worked and the volunteers learn how to set flat natural stone walls, the course of which will make the location and size of a former barrack visible again. The work is part of a larger project: the remains of the foundations on the sites of former barracks are to be gradually made visible again so that visitors to the memorial site can recognize the camp structure, which barely exists anymore. This year, work will be completed on a foundation that has already been started, the so-called infirmary.
Study Theme: The focus is on the history of the Nazi concentration camps and the use of concentration camp prisoners in the underground relocation of the armaments industry, especially in the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp. The history of the "infirmary" and the topic of medicine in the Nazi era will also be covered. This topic will be approached through tours, working with various sources, exchanging ideas with each other, and joint digitally supported project work. Excursions to the Buchenwald memorial site near Weimar and the Topf & Sons memorial site in Erfurt are planned.
Accommodation: The accommodation is in the seminar house of the Evangelical Church Nordhausen-Salza, about 12 minutes by bike from the memorial. There are beautiful multi-bed rooms, sufficient sanitary facilities, a large self-catering kitchen, group rooms, and sunny and shady spots in the beautiful parish garden. Self-catering is possible thanks to shopping facilities nearby. There is the possibility to make campfires and barbecues in the parish garden. Bicycles are provided for everyone.
Language: The camp language is English, and a good knowledge of English is required to understand the study part. The study part and the physical work will be equally distributed with about 50% each in this camp.
Requirements: Interest in the history of National Socialism, good English language skills, and safe cycling in traffic are required!
Approximate Location: Nordhausen is a more than 1000-year-old town, which is the economic and cultural center of northern Thuringia and lies at the foot of the Harz Mountains (low mountain range). With its old town with half-timbered houses, the small pedestrian zone, and the beautiful surroundings, it is worth a visit. There is also a technical college. Excursions into the surrounding area are possible, as bicycles are provided. Cities such as Leipzig, Göttingen, and Weimar are easily accessible by regional train. There is also a public outdoor pool near the accommodation.
Notes: Work and study camps at memorial sites illustrate the possibility of social change by dealing with historical developments. Learning from history helps to address issues such as power and domination, violence and discrimination, but also democratic and resistant action, and can contribute to democratic and equal coexistence in today's world. In addition to dealing with concrete local history, the focus is also on questions of peace, democracy, and resistance against right-wing extremist, racist, and anti-Semitic tendencies in the participants' home countries.
Camp Photographs
