Prologue and the History of the Camp 

Forced labour was omnipresent during the time of National Socialism. Every German knew of it – at least as a bystander. The exact number of forced labourers is hard to determine: around 26 million people from all parts of Europe had to work within the German Reich and the occupied territories during the Second World War for the Nazi state.  Among them were prisoners of war (POWs) and concentration camp-inmates. The biggest group of 8.4 million people though, was formed by ordinary civilians – individuals from the occupied territories of Europe:  men, women and children. They are in the focus of the permanent exhibition.

30.000 camps were built for civilian workers solely. There was no area not profiting from the use of forced labourers – this concerned German industry, medium-sized businesses, agriculture, private households, municipalities, churches or handicraft enterprises. The functioning of the German armaments industry could not have been maintained throughout the war without the massive use of forced labourers.

The approach towards forced labourers was marked by racism. Western Europeans were seen as related to the German “Herrenrasse” and thus better off than Eastern Europeans, who suffered much more under the Nazi-logics of racism. According to it, they were understood to be of inferior value. The term “Ostarbeiter” summarised Soviet as well as Polish citizen, who both had to wear marks on their clothing.