University of Wisconsin–Madison

Germany: Ali Luedke (Learning on Excursions)

Learning on Excursions: Acknowledging the Past and Moving Forward

There is a quote that I have heard multiple times already throughout my study abroad experience: “Berlin is like being abroad in Germany.” It is truly a special place in this country. While it is a special place, it also holds the darkest history. From the headquarters of the SS and Nazi party during WWII to the site of the former Berlin Wall separating friends and families between East and West Berlin, there is no shortage of controversial past here. The most impactful parts of my time exploring this big new city include the many ways Berlin draws attention to its past misdoings, as not to dismiss them, but acknowledge them and learn from them as the city moves forward.

Three men, one carrying a limp figure with a blanket while the other mourns, are covered with flowers and candles. Next to the memorial, in both English and German, reads "In memory of the victims of Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp, 1936-1945"
A memorial set on the grounds of “Station Z,” typically prisoners’ final destination.

My study abroad program brought students on an excursion to the Gedenkstätte und Museum Sachsenhausen, a former concentration camp on the outskirts of Berlin, that is now open to the public to explore, learn, and reflect on the dark history that occurred on its grounds. Not only was Sachsenhausen used as a concentration and labor camp throughout the Holocaust, but after the war, was located in the Soviet Occupation Zone and used as a Soviet special camp that imprisoned countless others. After fourteen years of use and devastation, the site was inaugurated as the Sachsenhausen National Memorial on April 22, 1961. Not all of the original buildings remain, but those still standing include original barracks that housed Jewish prisoners, a prison run by the Gestapo, a pathology building with a cellar mortuary where autopsies were performed on the corpses of those who had died or been murdered, and quite possibly most crushing, an execution trench where resistance fighters, conscientious objectors, and people sentenced by Nazi Special Courts were executed by the masses.

My time at Sachsenhausen, while heavy, was incredibly impactful and important. It brings me peace of mind that Berlin has chosen to commemorate so many spaces that hold a devastating past in an attempt to shed light on the many victims of Germany’s past atrocities. We can move forward. We can be better. But we cannot forget.

Ali smiles in front of the side of a house.

Ali Luedke

Major: Life Sciences Communication (& Digital Studies Certificate)

Hometown: Plainfield, Illinois

Program: CIEE Open Campus Berlin, Germany