Entangled Pasts. Descendants speak
The exhibition “Entangled Pasts. Descendants speak” explores the perspectives of descendants of former prisoners of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp on their family history. The exhibition shows how families continue to be shaped by the experience of concentration camp imprisonment to this day.
The exhibition tells the stories of the lives of ancestors who were imprisoned in Sachsenhausen. Their biographies are explored through the lens of how their stories were passed down, what remained unsaid, and what significance this legacy continues to hold for subsequent generations to this day.
The exhibition was developed in collaboration with a group of family members with whom the memorial worked in 2024 and 2025 as part of the project “What Voice Do We Have?”. The goal of the project was to highlight the perspectives of descendants regarding the historic site and make them more visible.
The project was funded by the Federal Ministry of Finance (BMF) through its “Education Agenda NS-Injustice” initiative and by the EVZ Foundation.
From the Collections of Sachsenhausen Memorial – Depot on Display
In our workshop exhibitions held in the former prisoners’ laundry, we display a variety of objects organized by theme—including new acquisitions and old “treasures”—primarily from the memorial’s museum collection.
The 21st workshop exhibition features objects that can also be viewed in the digital formats Objects in Focus and in the Dingen auf der Spur app.
Objects in Focus is the name of a section on the memorial’s website. There, we showcase new additions to the collections, such as found objects or donations, or use selected individual items to commemorate specific events and people.
Dingen auf der Spur is a web application designed to help students and other interested visitors prepare for a visit to the memorial. The application allows users to explore objects from the collection through a combination of play and discovery. Some of the objects can be viewed in 3D.
In the Depot on Display, visitors can view the original objects that are otherwise only displayed digitally. QR codes link to the digital presentation, which provides additional information.
