In 1938 the direction of the German concentration camps was transferred to the city of Oranienburg. Next to the Sachsenhausen camp, a large T-shaped office building was erected where the Inspectorate for Concentration Camps, Inspektion der Konzentrazionslager , was located. in German, in addition to the commanders of the Totenkopf division of the SS, in charge of guarding the Nazi camps.
The building, which is located a few meters from the main complex in Sachsenhausen, was erected by prisoners from that camp. Since 1938, all decisions on living conditions in the camps, on the transfer of prisoners or on the systematic extermination of Jews, Gypsies or Soviet prisoners have been made in this place. In addition, from 1942 it also housed the commercial offices of the SS, in charge of enriching the organization thanks to the slave labor of the concentration camps.
How to get to the Central Concentration Camps – IKL
The camp inspection building is located right next to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp memorial in the city of Oranienburg. To arrive by public transport there are two options:
- S-bahn line S1 . Oranienburg stop. This is the most reliable option, since the line runs through the entire center of Berlin and has a frequency of 20 minutes. The most central stops are Potsdamer Platz, Brandemburger Tor and Friedrichstrasse. You can consult the transport map of Berlin HERE to see the whole line
- The second option, faster but less reliable, is to take the RE5 regional train line address Rostock. This train only takes 25 minutes to get to Oranienburg from the center of Berlin, but it usually has quite a few delays and, especially in summer, it is always full due to the Berliners who take it to spend the day on the Baltic beaches. The RE5 can be taken at Potsdamer Platz, Hauptbahnhof or Gesundbrunnen. You can check the schedules HERE.
Once at Oranienburg main station, the place is 1800 meters away. You can walk there, following the signs related to the Sachsenhausen camp. The building is marked as Finanzamt Oranienburg , since it is its main function today.
Opening hours
Monday to Friday:8.00 – 18.00
Saturday and Sunday:12.00 – 16.00
Free admission.
Visit the Central of the concentration camps – IKL
The former camp inspection building now houses the offices of the Brandenburg Memorial Foundation as well as the city's tax office. However, for a few years a small exhibition has been set up inside on his role during the National Socialist regime.
The exhibition can be accessed through the main entrance of the building and going up to the first floor, where there are two rooms with information and original objects from the time.
Recommendations
Due to its distance from the center of Berlin and the small size of the exhibition, we recommend that you visit the building in combination with the visit to the Sachsenhausen memorial, as they are only a few meters away.