ANNABELLE: Buchenwald Concentration Camp

Going to the Buchenwald Concentration Camp in Weimar was an experience of mixed emotions. When we first arrived I noticed how serene and pastoral the surrounding woods were. The birds sang and tree branches swayed smoothly with each breeze and it was strange and hard to believe that such atrocities had taken place in such a beautiful and peaceful place.

One of the first areas of Buchenwald that I saw was the former zoo that was designed for the officers of the camp and their family’s enjoyment and pleasure. It seemed so absurd and bizarre that a zoo be located only a few hundred feet from where people were starving and being executed.

As I walked through the entrance gates that read “Jedem Das Seine” I thought to myself how surreal this whole experience was, and I could not believe that these buildings contributed to one of the most atrocious genocide in history. It was not until I went into the Crematorium that I really felt the horror of Buchenwald. When I saw the two large chimneys on top of the building a cold feeling entered my body. The entire building which housed different areas for the purpose of dismemberment, burning, and different forms of execution. In one area there was a place against the wall the measure an individual’s height, it looked like any hospital room. But on the other side of the height measurement was a tiny room in which Nazis would stand and execute the individual in the nape of the neck. The organization and clinical aspect of these rooms were eerie and sickening.

As I went from room to room I felt more nauseated until I went into the Corpse Cellar. In this cellar there were hooks spaced systematically apart around the tops of the room. The hooks were there for hanging and choking people by. While in this room I felt extremely sick to my stomach and horrified. Being in the room and seeing the hooks lining the entire room made this experience so real that I had to leave shortly after entering. Although Buchenwald was upsetting, it was eye opening and is an important experience in my life. It is imperative that these camps stay preserved for the remembrance of the atrocities committed and the people who suffered.