Marking the 80th anniversary of liberation: The history of one of the largest National Socialist concentration camps – the essential characteristics, developments and contexts presented in a compact form
From the summer of 1937, the SS had the Buchenwald concentration camp built on the Ettersberg near the city of Weimar. It became one of the largest concentration camps. Until its liberation in April 1945, more than a quarter of a million people from almost every country in Europe passed through the main camp on the Ettersberg or one of its more than 130 satellite camps. 56,000 men, women, young people and children did not survive.
To mark the 80th anniversary of liberation, Michael Löffelsender offers a concise history of the concentration camp that covers all important aspects. The internal history of the camp, the actions of the SS, the experiences of those persecuted and the integration of the camp into German society under National Socialism are described and exemplified.
In the year 2025, which is important in terms of remembrance policy, we now have an accessible, up-to-date and compact account of the Buchenwald concentration camp for a wider audience.
Michael Löffelsender, born 1978, is a historian and curator for the history of the Buchenwald concentration camp at the Buchenwald Memorial. Publications include: »Témoignages strasbourgeois. Berichte französischer Überlebender der Konzentrationslager Buchenwald und Mittelbau-Dora« (co-editor, 2024).
