Archaeology of Internment Camps in 20th Century Brandenburg

Crime, camps, and commemoration

Kersting, Thomas

In the area surrounding the former Nazi Reich capital Berlin, in the modern-day state of Brandenburg, its 20th century history of war and displacement is represented by two concentration camps (Sachsenhausen and Ravensbrück), three large prisoner of war camps, several hundred satellite camps and even more “civilian” forced labour camps. Additionally, the Soviet Red Army had camps in the woods for their soldiers and repatriates. Today, the sites of these former camps are under the protection of state monument preservation. Finds at these often-forgotten sites present the legacies of both victims and perpetrators, and are increasingly essential to the remembrance of a dying generation of contemporary witnesses. This book presents a thorough contemporary archaeological investigation of these sites, including a comprehensive catalogue of sites in Brandenburg, discussion of the history of these camps, their locations and layout, objects from camps, life at the camps, and their commemoration.