Holocaust train exhibit opens in Berlin

I saw this on the news this morning - and wondered where it's at - anyone have an idea since it's now in Berlin, maybe HBF?

For video from the BBC: Exhibit on WWII death trains - An exhibition on the role of Germany's national railways during the holocaust has opened in Berlin.

For more info - An old article from Deutsche Welle (02.12.2006): Deutsche Bahn Agrees to Exhibit Holocaust Photos


Also, apparently there is now a train that is travelling across Germany in commemoration of these same children too - called The Memory Train To Auschwitz. It started it's 6 month journey from Frankfurt am Main in November and will visit 30 cities in mostly southern and central Germany. The full route can be found at - www.zug-der-erinnerung.eu.

Saw this in the SZ today.
Having it in stations will hopefully mean more people get to see it and also make us confront the issue.
ie it happenend in THIS station. On a day just like THIS.

I demand DB go on strike again.

I agree, Monkstown. The problem is that it doesn't seem to be publicized for which stations (not that I can find with my limited German) the display is at. I keep finding the location for where the train is going - but nothing else.

A far as I can make out it isn't coming to Munich.

The website doesn't seem to indicate it is coming to Munich - yet.
I hope once the elctions are over the new mayor and council will invite the train to come here.

The chilling thing about the site was how "normal" it all was and how mammoth logistical operation it was.
Rather than "just" a recognition that The Holocaust was arguably the lowest point in the history of humanity, ths exhibition makes us think.

There were I guess Germans who didn't know what was going on, but plenty must have guessed becasue of the railway activity.
Why didn't they do anythign? Could they have done anything?

Would you, I or anyone else do anything if it happenend again?

If this does come to Munich it should raise questions about the Munich Hauptbahnhof and it's role as a sub-camp of Dachau.

'The exhibition - Special Trains to Death - is being held at the station in Potsdamer Platz in central Berlin.' Source BBC News Website

Also 'After Berlin, the exhibition is moving to other German stations, including Frankfurt, Halle, Muenster and Munich.'

The Official site says otherwise (For now).. As Frankfurt, Halle and Munich are not listed on the scheduled stops plan.
It doesn't even look like its going to make it to any cities in Central Germany, let alone any cities in Bavaria. It looks
like its staying in Northern Germany, for now at least.

And something else on the English version of the DB site

Berlin, Regionalbahnhof Potsdamer Platz 23 January – 11 February

Halle (Saale), Hauptbahnhof 4 March - 16 March

Münster, Hauptbahnhof 18 May - 15 June

Further venues for the exhibition are in preparation


Germany in incomplete / contradictory information shocker

It seems that the train that is doing the rounds (Zug der Erinnerung) is something different to the exhibition in the actual stations.

If anyone can add any more to the picture, I would be interested to read it.

Even that links still doesn't say Frankfurt or Munich...

Indeed. It is all very confusing.

I walked through the Regionalbahnhof at Potsdamer Platz last night and didn't notice any information on the exhibition. I wasn't looking for it at the time but DB don't seem to be going out of their way to advertise it either.

It's not exactly what DB want their stations to be about.
It's not "sexy".

Yes, this is two different exhibits - but related to the same thing.

a) the display in the bhfs that is stationary.

the memorial train that is moving.

Thanks for the post that the stationary one is supposed to be in Potsdamer Platz - I'll check tonight. Maybe it's in an obscure little corner somewhere - or, since it's supposed to really get going on the 27th of January - it's not fully up yet. I will note that tonight is Berlin's Long Night at the Museums and it starts/ends at the Kultureforum at potsdamer platz so maybe they'll have it on the map as a special exhibit. If so, I'll post again.

@ Rose - an article in German in Die Zeit from 24.01 notes that the exhibition is in the Vorhalle (lobby / atrium bit) of Potsdamer Platz started on Wednesday. If you can find confirmation of that it would be great.

@Darknight. This time the subsequent itinerary of the exibition is listed as Halle, Münster and Schwerin.

Exhibition directly downstairs from the main entrance with the huge Mama Mia signage. The grey display stands are somewhat swamped by scale and greyness of the atrium and I didn't notice any further advertising two grey sandwich board style displays beyond the immediate vicinity.

A small but powerful exhibition. Only in German though.

Thanks K - I'll be up there sometime this week to have a look. I'm wanting to see if I can do photographs of it and/or of the people's reactions to it.

I would say it is an excellent photo opportunity. The display looks so forlorn in the corner of the huge atrium but then when you start looking at the pictures of the different nationalities of the children and the maps showing the distances they traveled the forlornness of the exhibition somehow seems appropriate. Photographically, there is a lot to be done there with issues of scale and perspective. There was also a good demographic range of visitors whilst I was there.