Gedenkstätte Plattenhaus Poppenbüttel

About the museum

In the second half of the war, a settlement of prefabricated concrete-panel houses was built near Poppenbüttel station as emergency housing for Hamburg families bombed out of their homes. It was built by forced laborers, including Italian military internees and the women of the Hamburg Sasel subcamp of the Neuengamme concentration camp, which existed from September 1944 to spring 1945. Most of the concrete parts came from the clinker brickworks of the Neuengamme concentration camp.

Only one house from the settlement survived. Since 1985 it has served as a museum and memorial. One part is furnished as an emergency apartment from 1944 with original furniture, showing the cramped living conditions. In the other part, the permanent exhibition opened in 2008 shows the history of the eight women's subcamps of the Neuengamme concentration camp in Hamburg and Wedel, where more than 2,800 women were imprisoned. Its focus is on conditions of imprisonment and forced labor, twelve biographies, the prosecution of perpetrators, and how the sites were dealt with after 1945. A further theme is the destruction of Jewish life in Hamburg.

In the forecourt, a wooden sculpture called "Friedensbaum" (Peace Tree) has commemorated the prisoners since 1989. The memorial belongs to the Stiftung Hamburger Gedenkstätten und Lernorte and is also cared for on a volunteer basis by a working group.

Key themes

• Last surviving prefab house of the Poppenbüttel emergency housing settlement
• Permanent exhibition on the women's subcamps of the Neuengamme concentration camp in Hamburg and Wedel
• Original furnished emergency apartment from 1944
• Twelve biographies of imprisoned women
• Admission free

Permanent exhibitions

• Die Frauenaußenlager des KZ Neuengamme in Hamburg – The permanent exhibition from 2008 documents the women's subcamps of the Neuengamme concentration camp in Hamburg and Wedel through biographies, conditions of imprisonment and prosecution after 1945.
• Behelfsheimwohnung von 1944 – An apartment in the prefab house, furnished with original furniture, shows the cramped living conditions of bombed-out families.

Founded

1985

Operated by

Stiftung Hamburger Gedenkstätten und Lernorte zur Erinnerung an die Opfer der NS-Verbrechen

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

According to the Museumsdienst Hamburg, the ground floor is accessible. The website is also available in German Sign Language.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

The memorial deals with persecution and forced labor, and its educational program is aimed mainly at school classes and youth groups. No separate family offers are listed.

Getting there & parking

Amenities & dining

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit