Mahn- und Gedenkstätte Veckenstedter Weg Wernigerode

About the museum

In April 1941, a forced labour camp was established on Veckenstedter Weg in Wernigerode. The inmates, who came from northern France and Belgium, had to produce engine parts and valves at the Leichtmetall- und Rautalwerke. In March 1943, the camp was converted into the first subcamp of Buchenwald concentration camp, under the code name “Richard”. The first prisoners arrived on 23 March 1943 and had to rebuild the camp themselves; by the end of 1944, a total of 1,144 people had been held here.

At the end of September 1944, preparations began to relocate the subcamp to an unused industrial site on the edge of the town. By the end of November, the number of prisoners had been reduced to 500. Those who remained were taken on Boxing Day 1944 to the newly prepared camp at the Steinerne Renne and sent on a death march on 10 April 1945.

After the end of the war, the US Army initially used the site as an internment camp; it then served as a reception camp and as a so-called “resettlers’ camp” (“Umsiedlerlager”), from which expellees were distributed across the district of Wernigerode. From 1948 to 1952 it was officially an old people’s home, and until 1974 a nursing home. At the suggestion of former prisoners, the district decided in 1970 to establish a memorial site here; it opened on 9 May 1975.

Three wooden and two stone barracks survive in their original fabric. In one wooden barracks, the examination room, infirmary and quarters of Soviet prisoners have been restored on the basis of witness statements and plans; a second barracks houses the permanent exhibition. A memorial commemorates the victims of National Socialism, and a memorial plaque at the neighbouring place of remembrance lists 36 prisoners who died in the camp. The work of the memorial site is supported by a friends’ association.

Key themes

• Original barracks of the former concentration camp subcamp
• Restored rooms: examination room, infirmary, quarters of Soviet prisoners
• Permanent exhibition on forced labor, the subcamp and the death marches
• Memorial to the victims of Nazi terror and place of remembrance for 36 prisoners who died in the camp
• Library on the Nazi era (Second World War, racial policy, Holocaust, concentration camps, resistance, literature 1933–1945), available by arrangement
• Holdings on the “Lebensborn”, available to consult by arrangement with the association Lebensspuren e. V.

Permanent exhibitions

• Dauerausstellung zum Lager am Veckenstedter Weg – Documents and objects on the history of the forced labor and concentration camp subcamp, the Steinerne Renne subcamp and the death marches.
• Originalräume der KZ-Zeit – In one wooden barracks, visitors can see the examination room, infirmary and quarters of Soviet prisoners.

Founded

1975

Operated by

Landkreis Harz

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Admission is free; donations are welcome. Brochures about the camps and the use of the site after 1945 (€1.50 to €5) and free flyers are available at the memorial site.

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

The exhibition barracks are wheelchair accessible. In the area of the original rooms, the corridor is only wide enough for one wheelchair to pass at a time.

Kids & families

Only partly suitable for kids

• Family tours & workshops

Only partly suitable for children: the memorial site is aimed mainly at school classes and youth groups, and the exhibition is suitable for pupils from Year 5 (Klasse 5) upwards. Guided tours by booking.

Getting there & parking

The memorial site is located on the former edge of Wernigerode, not far from the Bürgerpark (Dornbergsweg) and the Luftfahrtmuseum (Gießerweg). By car, from the A 36 (exit Wernigerode-Nord) or on the old B 6 from Ilsenburg, drive to the roundabout at Veckenstedter Weg and head towards “Harzblick/Charlottenlust”; the entrance is on the left after about 300 m. From the B 244, drive through the industrial estate and along the street Zaunwiese to the roundabout, take the second exit and turn right into the entrance after about 50 m.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Restaurant: not available

No catering is available.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit