Life after Liberation

Survivors experienced their liberation from the concentration camps in different ways. Many of them were in poor health due to the conditions of their imprisonment and had to be treated in hospitals. Those who had been deported to Germany were classified as “Displaced Persons” and put up in special camps before they could be repatriated. But not all of them wanted to go back. Many survivors wanted to emigrate to the USA or to Palestine, and some even wanted to remain in Germany. Both in Germany and in their native countries, former political prisoners formed associations of concentration camp survivors or victims of Nazi persecution and demanded compensation.

Black and white photo of a bus with several passengers. From an open window, a liberated concentration camp prisoner, visibly cheerful, shakes hands with a man standing outside.
Media Library

The complete permanent exhibition "Time Traces" and the other side exhibitions on the grounds of the Neuengamme Concentration Camp Memorial are also available digitally in the memorial's media library. Unfortunately, the media library is only available in German.

media library
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Do you have questions or have you encountered errors while using the website? Then please write to us at:

E-mail: lernwerkstatt@gedenkstaetten.hamburg.de

Phone: +49 40 428 131 551