Non UK Germany: Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp

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Paul W. H

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I am seriously thinking about visiting Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp in Germany this year as we will be travelling nearby.

If anyone has been there, a couple of questions if I may:

Were there any photography restrictions in place and would I need to allocate half a day, a whole day or a couple of days to see it all.

For info I am the wrong side of 60 and only firing on 3 cylinders.

Paul W. H
 
I don't know if you have a personal reason for visiting the concentration camp, but it was burned to the ground by the British after it was liberated, to prevent the spread of disease. There are memorials and graves, but I don't think any of the structures remain standing. There shouldn't be any restrictions on photography.

My brother in law and his wife visited Auschwitz-Birkenau - which was both a concentration and extermination camp - last year, and many of the buildings have been preserved. They found it a very sobering, and moving, experience but it's in Poland and quite a long way to the east of where you are going. They spent about a day there.
 
Friend of mine said the same about Auschwitz.

I know you may not be in the same area, but I would recommend visiting Colditz. A stunning castle in a amazing location with loads of history and character.
 
Thanks for your replies.

As Mrs H and I do not enjoy flying, we holiday in the UK, Ireland and Western Europe and have a Ford S-Max Titanium X that has plenty for room for “junk”, photo kit and is extremely comfortable to drive.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is quite a distance to drive (about 1,000 miles from Calais) but I have not ruled it out, we would need to find many other “attractions” en-route to justify travelling such a distance.

We looked at Colditz but it was another 170 miles South East (as the crow flies) from Bergen-Belsen and felt that it was “pushing it” with the other things we want to do. Again it has gone on the “To Do One Day” List.

One day appears to be enough at Bergen-Belsen so I need to start looking at Booking.com and Trip Advisor for a hotel for 2 nights nearby.

Thanks again
 
My wife visited Bergen-Belsen when she was stationed in Germany during her time in the army. As correctly pointed out above, the camp was destroyed by the British Army. All there is to see, at least a few years ago when she was there, are the memorials and a museum - no original buildings remain.

Buchenwald is not too far from BB and Sachsenhausen is a short trip north of Berlin if you travel that far west. Both of these memorials have more to see as far as original structures go and might not be too far, travel-wise.

These places are sobering to visit, (I've been to Auschwitz, Dachau, Sachsenhausen and Ravensbruck), but they are also excellent museums/memorials. Photography is fine as long as you act in a respectful manner and don't inconvenience the other visitors.
 
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Many thanks for this Jason.

I am going to re-jig our schedule to fit in Buchenwald Concentration Camp for a 2 day visit.

Thanks again
 
Thanks very much for your offer but it is looking more and more likely that we will have to postpone this until next year as we are not going to be able to fit it all in due to time restraints.

Thanks again.
 
Bergen-Belsen Concentration Camp is well worth visiting. One of the most moving experiences I have ever had. The camp covers a very large area and will take a good few hours to get around. Yes the old buildings were burnt down, there are however still some hut frames standing. The museum is well worth a visit, there is also a Jewish place for prayer. Not forgetting the monuments to all that died, and Anne Frank's memorial. The place has a very eerie feel about it, and we never seen or heard any birds during our visit. There are a number of plaques around the the site which gives the feel of what it must have been like in these terrible place.
After I had visited BB, I had a completely different feeling and view of past history, and I feel now that we should never be allowed to forget what happened during these times.
 
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