Gedenkstätte Lager Sandbostel

The Stalag XB prisoner of war camp (Mannschafts-Stammlager B in Wehrkreis X, Hamburg), which was established by the Wehrmacht in August 1939, before the start of the Second World War, was located near the town of Sandbostel.

By the time of its liberation in April 1945, more than 313,000 prisoners of war, civilian and military internees from over 55 countries had passed through the camp. Mostly from France, the Soviet Union, Belgium, Yugoslavia and Poland as well as Italian military internees, male and female members of the Polish Home Army (Armia Krajowa) and members of the British merchant navy.

Some prisoners only stayed in the camp for a few days, others for several years. The prisoners of war were deployed in numerous places in the North German war economy. In April 1945, 9,500 prisoners from Neuengamme concentration camp and the Bremen subcamps were also sent to Sandbostel on death marches.

The Soviet prisoners of war died en masse in the winter of 1941/42 due to hunger, epidemics, exhaustion and violence, as did the concentration camp prisoners deported to Sandbostel in April/May 1945. The camp's dead are buried in the cemetery located around two kilometers east of the camp.

Today's exhibition and the site to be visited
Today, 23 buildings still exist, of which nine barracks, two latrines and one of the two camp kitchens are accessible. A modern, multimedia-based permanent exhibition also informs visitors about the history and post-war history of the camp and shows the living conditions of the camp at the time, where tens of thousands of prisoners of war and concentration camp inmates died of hunger, cold, epidemics, exhaustion and violence.

The site is freely accessible, but access to the dilapidated buildings is not permitted. The permanent exhibitions and other changing special exhibitions can be visited during opening hours.

Public tours
Public tours are offered on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month at 2.00 pm. The meeting point is the main exhibition building. Participation is free of charge, a donation is requested.

Guided tours
Guided tours for groups of 10 or more can be booked all year round on all opening days by calling 04764-2254810 or by sending an email to besucherbetreuung(at)stiftung-lager-sandbostel.de.
For group bookings, a fee of 2 euros per person (but at least 40 euros) is charged.

Educational offers
The Sandbostel Camp Memorial is a place of remembrance and commemoration, of research, collecting, preserving and imparting or historical learning. We would like to present all these dimensions of our work to visitors.
In our memorial pedagogical work with young people, we have various offers for commemoration and remembrance as well as learning at the historical site of the event, the crime scene. Further information can be found on the website under the menu item Pedagogy.
 
Dogs
Dogs can be kept on a lead in the outdoor area of the memorial. Dogs are not permitted in the exhibition buildings. Assistance dogs are an exception.

Stories between magic and Döntjes
Immerse yourself in the story "The memory in the Sandbostel camp: Never again war? Past and present!"".