Gedenkstätte Todesmarsch im Belower Wald
Memorial site at the forest camp near Wittstock where, in April 1945, the SS held more than 16,000 prisoners from Sachsenhausen concentration camp.
About the museum
On April 21, 1945, the SS drove more than 30,000 prisoners from Sachsenhausen concentration camp northwest on foot. Between April 23 and 29, they gathered more than 16,000 of them in a stretch of forest near Below, close to Wittstock. Without shelter or provisions, fenced in and guarded, the prisoners had to hold out there for several days; many did not survive. Pine trees stripped of bark, which the starving prisoners made into a mash, and carvings in beech trees are still visible today.
As early as 1945, a memorial stone for prisoners who died here was erected in the cemetery in nearby Grabow; a stone at the site of the forest camp followed in 1965, and in 1975 the memorial complex that still stands today. Since 1976, 120 plaques have marked the routes of the march between Oranienburg and Schwerin. In 1981, a small museum opened opposite the forest site as a branch of the Sachsenhausen National Memorial, with an exhibition shaped by East Germany's official interpretation of antifascism. Since 1993 the site has belonged to the Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten (Brandenburg Memorials Foundation); in the early 1990s around 4,000 artifacts were recovered.
After an arson attack by neo-Nazis in September 2002 destroyed one of the two exhibition rooms, the memorial was completely redesigned and reopened in April 2010 for the 65th anniversary of the liberation. Since then, an open-air exhibition on glass steles has provided information about the evacuation of the camps, the death march, the forest camp and the liberation; a boardwalk leads into the historic forest site, and the former museum building serves as an educational project workshop.
Highlights
- Historic forest site with traces of the April 1945 camp
- Pine trees stripped of bark and prisoners' carvings in beech trees
- Open-air exhibition on glass steles (German and English)
- Display case with artifacts found in the Belower Wald
- Museum trail with reconstructions of makeshift shelters (approx. 35 minutes)
- Memorial complex from 1975
Permanent exhibitions
- April 1945: Der Todesmarsch der Häftlinge des KZ Sachsenhausen – Open-air exhibition on glass panels with photos, documents, drawings and survivors' accounts of the evacuation, the death march, the forest camp and the liberation, complemented by a display case with artifacts.
- Founded
- 1981
- Operated by
- Stiftung Brandenburgische Gedenkstätten
- Director
- Friederike Gehrmann
Admission & discounts
Admission is free.
| Children & teens | –Free admission for everyone. |
|---|---|
| Groups | –Guided tours (approx. 90 minutes, max. 30 people) according to the education page: €15 for up to 15 people and €25 for up to 30 people; project days €40 plus materials, multi-day projects by arrangement. The visitor services page lists €15–50 depending on group size. |
Free admission; only registered guided tours and projects are subject to a fee.
Accessibility
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Kids & families
Only partly suitable for kidsRecommended for ages 14+
Educational programs are aimed at groups aged 14 and up; programs for younger children are possible by arrangement. The site is an outdoor forest area – bring weatherproof clothing as well as mosquito and sun protection.
Getting there & parking
By public transit
Not accessible by public transport; the nearest train station is Wittstock/Dosse (approx. 12 km).
By car
Parking available
Parking lot at the memorial.
By car or bus via the A 19, exit Wittstock, then signposted.
Get directionsAmenities & dining
- Café: not available
- Restaurant: not available
No food service on site; bring provisions for longer stays.
Events & venue rental
The museum hasn’t published any information on this – please ask the museum directly.
Plan your visit
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 1.5 hrs |
|---|---|
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Exhibition texts in German and English, a French version, and shorter Danish and Dutch texts as a handout. Tours and multi-hour workshops (for groups aged 14 and up, in German or English) only by registration; the programs take place mostly outdoors. The berlinHistory app offers content on the death marches and the memorial. Tours for adults last about 90 minutes; for school classes, the memorial recommends stays of four to six hours. The walk along the museum trail through the forest grounds takes about 35 minutes. |
