Memorial in Fort Oberer Kuhberg on the site of the early concentration camp of 1933 to 1935, with a permanent exhibition and underground detention areas.
August 30, 2026 – November 6, 2026
Documentary exhibition by the Magnus Hirschfeld Federal Foundation on the exclusion and persecution of queer people in the Nazi era. In five thematic islands it shows documents, photographs and quotations, as well as scope for action in everyday life.
Fort Oberer Kuhberg was built around 1850 as part of the Bundesfestung Ulm (federal fortress of Ulm). After the First World War it stood empty; in autumn 1933 the Württemberg Interior Ministry set up the "Schutzhaftlager Ulm/Donau" there as a replacement for the Heuberg camp, an early concentration camp. Between November 1933 and July 1935, around 600 men were detained here, mainly communists and social democrats, including the later SPD chairman Kurt Schumacher. They lived in cold, damp underground fortification passages.
The concentration camp memorial opened in 1985 on the initiative of former prisoners and the Dokumentationszentrum Oberer Kuhberg (DZOK, documentation center). The site has been a listed monument since 1960, and since 2017 also in its significance as an early concentration camp. The buildings were spared from war damage, but after 1935 they were used in many ways.
What can be visited today are the underground prisoner quarters and special detention cells, the rooms of the former camp administration, and the permanent exhibition "Die Würde des Menschen ist unantastbar – Das KZ Oberer Kuhberg in Ulm 1933–1935" in eight thematic islands. It spans from the Nazi takeover in Ulm to the founding of the memorial. A virtual reconstruction of the camp from 2022 and a media guide with tablets complement the tour. The supporting association also runs an archive, a library and databases.
| Adults | €5 |
|---|---|
| Reduced | €3 |
| Groups | €2 per personAdult groups €2 per person, school classes €0.50 per person, plus a €50 guiding fee |
Cash payment only. One-time fee for group tours €50.
For reasons of heritage protection, only partly barrier-free: the permanent exhibition on the first floor is at ground level and can be reached by wheelchair; the upper floors, the outdoor grounds and the underground prisoner rooms are not barrier-free. Assistance dogs are allowed. The exhibition is also available in Easy Language as a PDF.
Only partly suitable for kids
Memorial with a serious theme; offers for school classes and youth groups.
Oberer Kuhberg
City bus lines 8 and 14 to the Oberer Kuhberg stop; from the main station, tram line 2 towards Kuhberg to the terminus Kuhberg Schulzentrum, then about a 10-minute walk.
Parking available
Parking spaces at the memorial are limited (Am Hochsträß 1); alternatives are available at the Hochschule für Gestaltung (university of design).
Am Hochsträß 1 is not a postal address.
Get directionsThe museum hasn’t published any information on this.
The museum hasn’t published any information on this.
| Guided tours | yes · approx. 60 min |
|---|---|
| Audio guide | yes |
| School programs | yes |
| Good to know | Media guide with tablets at 11 stations, handed out until 15:30 by the attendant. School classes find tours, workshops and digital offers. The outdoor area is unpaved and the Kuhberg is cool; warm clothing and sturdy footwear are advisable. |
