{"id":76206,"date":"2023-10-13T19:06:58","date_gmt":"2023-10-13T17:06:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/?post_type=magazin&#038;p=76206"},"modified":"2026-09-27T21:43:47","modified_gmt":"2026-09-27T19:43:47","slug":"bergen-belsen-memorial-it-was-raining-ice","status":"publish","type":"magazin","link":"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/on-the-margins\/bergen-belsen-memorial-it-was-raining-ice\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018It was raining ice, and our feet were frozen\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"\r\n<div class=\"cover--lead-in has-spacing--m\">\r\n\r\n    \r\n    <div class=\"cover--lead-in__content typo--tiempos\">\r\n\r\n        <div class=\"entry-categories\">\n\t<a class=\"post__tag\" href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine-category\/on-the-margins\/\" rel=\"category tag\">On the margins<\/a><\/div>\r\n        <h2 class=\"cover--lead-in__headline headline-size--s\">\r\n            \u2018It was raining ice, and our feet were frozen\u2019        <\/h2>\r\n\r\n                    <div class=\"cover--lead-in__text\">\r\n                <p>A personal visit to the memorial: a survivor\u2019s voice guides us through the history of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp \u2013 between grief and new beginnings.<br \/>\n<strong>By <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/lion-knirsch\/\">Lion Knirsch<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/ellen-zylinski\/\"> <\/a>(text), <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/salome-ophelia-ziermann\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Salome Ophelia Ziermann<\/a> (photos)<\/strong><\/p>\n            <\/div>\r\n        \r\n                    <div class=\"cover--lead-in__author\">\r\n                \r\n                    \r\n                            <figure class=\"cover--lead-in__author__image\">\r\n\r\n                                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/lion-knirsch\/\" target=\"_blank\">\r\n                                \r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-68x68.jpg\"\r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-68x68.jpg 68w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-52x52.jpg 52w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-96x96.jpg 96w\"\r\n                                    width=\"68\"\r\n                                    height=\"68\"\r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n\r\n                                                                    <\/a>\r\n                                \r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                            <figure class=\"cover--lead-in__author__image\">\r\n\r\n                                                                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/salome-ophelia-ziermann\/\" target=\"\">\r\n                                \r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Salome_Ziermann-021-68x68.jpg\"\r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Salome_Ziermann-021-68x68.jpg 68w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Salome_Ziermann-021-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Salome_Ziermann-021-52x52.jpg 52w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Salome_Ziermann-021-96x96.jpg 96w\"\r\n                                    width=\"68\"\r\n                                    height=\"68\"\r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n\r\n                                                                    <\/a>\r\n                                \r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                                    <\/div><!-- .cover--lead-in__author -->\r\n        \r\n    <\/div><!-- .cover--lead-in__content -->\r\n\r\n    \r\n        <figure class=\"cover--lead-in__image cover--lead-in__media cover--lead-in__media--image\">\r\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"\r\n                src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_635640-1.jpg\"\r\n                srcset=\"\"\r\n                width=\"1\"\r\n                height=\"1\"\r\n                alt=\"The transition from the documentation centre to the grounds of the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.\"\r\n                style=\"object-position: 88.37% 98.92%\"\r\n            \/>\r\n        <\/figure>\r\n\r\n        \r\n    \r\n<\/div><!-- .cover--lead-in -->\r\n\r\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--default\"><strong>This place draws me in. <\/strong>A gravitational pull of frosted glass and grey concrete. But it is not only the hard edges of the architecture that weigh&nbsp;on my mind. <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/?post_type=magazin&#038;p=28285\">It is those of the history this site on the edge of Bergen and Belsen tells<\/a> \u2013 on the edge of reason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--default\">Many years ago I already had to look into this human abyss once. But not with a notepad and camera \u2013 with a school bag and a packed lunch. Now I am older; I and the way I see the world have changed. But this place has not changed at all \u2013 like a rock of concrete in the surf of forgetting. I had forgotten a lot; I could remember neither exact figures nor pictures. But I remembered very well the feeling of standing here.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--m\">But it is not only my memory. The walls inside the documentation centre are riddled with cracks too, as if they were also breaking under the weight of the past \u2013 a weight embodied in photos, testimonies and quotations. I read of hunger so great that people ate bark, belts, even the dead. I saw photos of stacked corpses, naked, pale and starved, and next to them prisoners&nbsp;calmly preparing their food. It all struck me as a deeply perverse caricature, as if Dante Alighieri had described it in his Inferno. Every photo, every word, every quotation another crack through my view of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"devider has-spacing--none\">\n    <hr>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n    \n    <div id=\"quote-block_fb34b99b4161ab04f8111f7fce90614e\" class=\"block-quote has-spacing--m\">\n        <figure class=\"quote\">\n            <blockquote>\n                <p><strong>I could remember neither exact figures<\/strong> nor pictures. But I remembered very well the feeling of standing here.<\/p>\n            <\/blockquote>\n\n            <figcaption>\n\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"portrait--inline\" src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-52x52.jpg\" width=\"52\" height=\"52\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                            <span>Lion Knirsch<\/span>\n            <\/figcaption>\n            \n        <\/figure>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--l\"><strong>When the doors to the grounds opened, I felt liberated.<\/strong> Instead of a guard of honour of barbed wire and sentries, I was greeted by one of bushes and trees. Instead of screams, I heard birdsong. Instead of emaciated bodies, leaves covered the ground. Only the information boards, memorial stones and burial mounds hint at <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/comment-and-debate\/images-in-spite-of-all-photographic-testimony-from-auschwitz\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">what happened here between 1940 and 1945<\/a>. Behind glass and concrete lies the past, outside the present \u2013 and, like my reflection in the window pane, I was trapped somewhere in between. I could no longer see any huts or watchtowers, but what I had heard still echoed inside me.<\/p>\n\n\n \n\n<div class=\"photo-grid grid-layout--2col-5 has-spacing--m\">\n\n            \n\n            <div class=\"photo-grid__image\">\n\n                <figure>\n\n                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \n                        src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-768x581.jpg\" \n                        srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-768x581.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-1024x775.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-1536x1163.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-2048x1551.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-1920x1454.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-1400x1060.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-1050x795.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-670x507.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-420x318.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-350x265.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_45639-3-150x114.jpg 150w\" \n                        width=\"768\"  \n                        height=\"581\" \n                        alt=\"The picture shows both the documentation centre and the grounds, conveying the contrast between concrete and nature.\"  \n                    \/>\n\n                    \n                                            <figcaption class=\"photo-grid__image__caption--soehne\"><p><strong>The almost windowless building ends right at the former camp boundary<\/strong>. So as not to touch the ground here, the building was designed so that the space hovers above it.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n                    \n                <\/figure>\n\n            <\/div><!-- photo-grid__image -->    \n\n\n            \n\n                    \n                \n\n            <div class=\"photo-grid__image\">\n\n                <figure>\n\n                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \n                        src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-768x580.jpg\" \n                        srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-768x580.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-300x227.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-1024x774.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-1536x1161.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-2048x1547.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-1920x1451.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-1400x1058.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-1050x793.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-670x506.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-420x317.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-350x264.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_55638-3-150x113.jpg 150w\" \n                        width=\"768\"  \n                        height=\"580\" \n                        alt=\"Footprints on the frozen concrete at the end of the long passage that leads visitors to the grounds.\"  \n                    \/>\n\n                    \n                                            <figcaption class=\"photo-grid__image__caption--soehne\"><p><strong>The documentation centre records 200,000 visitors a year.<\/strong> They all enter the park-like grounds through a concrete passage around 200 metres long.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n                    \n                <\/figure>\n\n            <\/div><!-- photo-grid__image -->    \n\n\n            \n\n            \n<\/div>\n\n    <figure class=\"block-photo post__image--full has-spacing--m no-title\">\n\n        <div class=\"post__image__container\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" \n                src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-1400x1053.jpg\"\n                srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-1400x1053.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-300x226.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-1024x770.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-768x578.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-1536x1155.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-2048x1540.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-1920x1444.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-1050x790.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-670x504.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-420x316.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_25629-1-150x113.jpg 150w\"\n                width=\"1400\" \n                height=\"1053\"\n                alt=\"Ziermann_Salome Ophelia_Randgebiete\" \n            \/>\n            \n                    <\/div><!-- post__image__container -->\n\n                    <figcaption class=\"post__image__caption--soehne\"><p><strong>The end wall of the building, only about 18 metres wide, opens into a hall with panoramic windows<\/strong> that give an unobstructed view of the grounds.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n        \n    <\/figure><!-- post__image -->\n\n\n\n \n\n<div class=\"photo-grid grid-layout--2col-5 has-spacing--l\">\n\n            \n\n            <div class=\"photo-grid__image\">\n\n                <figure>\n\n                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \n                        src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-768x575.jpg\" \n                        srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-768x575.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-1024x766.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-1536x1150.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-2048x1533.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-1920x1437.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-1400x1048.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-1050x786.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-670x501.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-420x314.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-350x262.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_35632-3-150x112.jpg 150w\" \n                        width=\"768\"  \n                        height=\"575\" \n                        alt=\"A section of the masonry inside the Bergen-Belsen documentation centre. A wood texture is imprinted in the concrete.\"  \n                    \/>\n\n                    \n                                            <figcaption class=\"photo-grid__image__caption--soehne\"><p><strong>At second glance, the exposed concrete of the memorial reveals a wood grain.<\/strong> It recalls the wooden huts of the former Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n                    \n                <\/figure>\n\n            <\/div><!-- photo-grid__image -->    \n\n\n            \n\n                    \n                \n\n            <div class=\"photo-grid__image\">\n\n                <figure>\n\n                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \n                        src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-768x577.jpg\" \n                        srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-768x577.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-1024x769.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-1536x1153.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-2048x1537.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-1920x1441.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-1400x1051.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-1050x788.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-670x503.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-420x315.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-350x263.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_75652-3-150x113.jpg 150w\" \n                        width=\"768\"  \n                        height=\"577\" \n                        alt=\"Painted stones and letters from visitors on an altar in the House of Silence, a walk-in sculpture.\"  \n                    \/>\n\n                    \n                                            <figcaption class=\"photo-grid__image__caption--soehne\"><p><strong>The artist couple Ingema Reuter and Gerd Winner conceived the \u2018House of Silence\u2019 as a walk-in memorial.<\/strong> Visitors are invited to linger here. Many leave messages and candles in memory of the victims of the Shoah.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n                    \n                <\/figure>\n\n            <\/div><!-- photo-grid__image -->    \n\n\n            \n\n            \n<\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--default\"><strong>\u2018The winter was harsh; we were half naked; it was raining ice and our feet were frozen,\u2019<\/strong> recalls the survivor Edith Bruck. In more than 100 transports and death marches between December 1944 and mid-April 1945, at least 85,000 men, women and children reached Bergen-Belsen \u2013 all of this after other concentration camp sites of this kind near the front had been evacuated towards the end of the war. In those months alone, 35,000 of them died \u2013 more than 70,000 in all by the end. And all because they believed \u2018wrongly\u2019, loved \u2018wrongly\u2019, lived \u2018wrongly\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--default\">It was testimonies from the past like these, together with the architecture of the present, that drew me in \u2013 from mere observer to eyewitness. What must it have been like between fences metres high, with no way out, no future? Eyes fixed rigidly ahead, despite \u2013 or even&nbsp;because of \u2013 the misery. How great must the hunger have&nbsp;been for people to start falling upon corpses? How great must the fear have been of being executed anywhere, at any time, for any reason? All these questions riddled my mind, and I have not been able to get them out of my head since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--default\">And I am not the only one searching for answers. All over the site, thousands of candles, letters and inscribed stones adorn the monuments and memorial plaques \u2013 even after so many years. \u2018NEVER FORGET\u2019 is written on one of the stones.&nbsp;But is that possible? Just as grass has grown over the old camp boundaries, one day it will grow over the memorials too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"post__paragraph has-spacing--m\">Yet every year around 15 April \u2013 the day of liberation \u2013 those survivors who died in the previous year are still remembered. And even if one day there are no more names, I know there is hope. For as long as we do not forget what happened and must never happen again, there will be a tomorrow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"devider has-spacing--none\">\n    <hr>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n    \n    <div id=\"quote-block_b251281bf556764ade8ca638c6bdaa05\" class=\"block-quote has-spacing--l\">\n        <figure class=\"quote\">\n            <blockquote>\n                <p><strong>The walls are riddled with cracks,<\/strong> as if they themselves were breaking under the weight of the past.<\/p>\n            <\/blockquote>\n\n            <figcaption>\n\n                            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"portrait--inline\" src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/DSC07868-2-52x52.jpg\" width=\"52\" height=\"52\" alt=\"\" \/>\n                            <span>Lion Knirsch<\/span>\n            <\/figcaption>\n            \n        <\/figure>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n    <figure class=\"block-photo post__image--full has-spacing--m no-title\">\n\n        <div class=\"post__image__container\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" \n                src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-1400x1050.jpg\"\n                srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-1400x1050.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-2048x1535.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-1920x1439.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-1050x787.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-670x502.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-420x315.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-350x262.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/IMG_85656-3-150x112.jpg 150w\"\n                width=\"1400\" \n                height=\"1050\"\n                alt=\"\" \n            \/>\n            \n                    <\/div><!-- post__image__container -->\n\n                    <figcaption class=\"post__image__caption--soehne\"><p><strong>The long passage takes visitors out of their everyday lives<\/strong> and leads them, surrounded by high walls, out onto the site of the former camp.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption>\n        \n    <\/figure><!-- post__image -->\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-spacing--default has-spacing--default\">\n<div class=\"devider has-spacing--none\">\n    <hr>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n\n    <div id=\"lead-in-block_8fb9447151848f21d17e3db3953b475b\" class=\"block-lead-in typo--default font-size--xl has-spacing--s width--default\">\n        <p><strong>Recommended by the editors:<\/strong><\/p>\n    <\/div>\n\n\n\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n        <div class=\"teaser-grid grid-layout--3col has-spacing--s width--inline\">\r\n\r\n            \r\n                <article class=\"post-teaser\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/collecting\/the-worlds-largest-playmobil-collection\/\" rel=\"permalink\">\r\n\r\n                        <div class=\"post-teaser__content\">\r\n\r\n                            <span class=\"entry-categories\">Collecting<\/span>\r\n                            <h3 class=\"post-teaser__headline\">\r\n                                The world&#8217;s largest Playmobil collection: 400,000 figures                            <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"post-teaser__excerpt\">\r\n                                <p>It all began in a child&#8217;s bedroom \u2013 today Oliver Schaffer owns the world&#8217;s largest Playmobil collection, with more than 400,000 figures. A visit to his high-bay warehouse.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                        <\/div><!-- .post-teaser__content -->\r\n\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                            <figure class=\"post-teaser__image\">\r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-768x614.jpg\" \r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-1920x1536.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-1400x1120.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-1050x840.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-670x536.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-420x336.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-350x280.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px-150x120.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/20241212_FR87726-Playmobilbauer-\u00a9Felix-Kaspar-Rosic_4000px.jpg 2000w\" \r\n                                    width=\"768\"  \r\n                                    height=\"614\" \r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                    <\/a>\r\n\r\n                <\/article><!--- .post-teaser-->\r\n\r\n            \r\n                <article class=\"post-teaser\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/masculinity\/being-gay-is-not-a-choice\/\" rel=\"permalink\">\r\n\r\n                        <div class=\"post-teaser__content\">\r\n\r\n                            <span class=\"entry-categories\">Masculinity<\/span>\r\n                            <h3 class=\"post-teaser__headline\">\r\n                                \u2018Being gay is not a choice\u2019                            <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"post-teaser__excerpt\">\r\n                                <p>Dirk and Thomas came out to their families only recently. Today they live together as a couple. In an interview with our author, they talk about their path to an open life.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                        <\/div><!-- .post-teaser__content -->\r\n\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                            <figure class=\"post-teaser__image\">\r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-768x512.jpg\" \r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-1400x933.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-1050x700.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-670x447.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-420x280.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/5-150x100.jpg 150w\" \r\n                                    width=\"768\"  \r\n                                    height=\"512\" \r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                    <\/a>\r\n\r\n                <\/article><!--- .post-teaser-->\r\n\r\n            \r\n                <article class=\"post-teaser\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/masculinity\/i-was-a-hitler-caricature\/\" rel=\"permalink\">\r\n\r\n                        <div class=\"post-teaser__content\">\r\n\r\n                            <span class=\"entry-categories\">Masculinity<\/span>\r\n                            <h3 class=\"post-teaser__headline\">\r\n                                \u2018I was a Hitler caricature from a bad Hollywood film\u2019                            <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"post-teaser__excerpt\">\r\n                                <p>He used to march through the streets in a leather coat, carrying the Reich war flag, giving hate speeches and dreaming of the great revolution. Today Axel Reitz works in extremism prevention.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                        <\/div><!-- .post-teaser__content -->\r\n\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                            <figure class=\"post-teaser__image\">\r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-768x512.jpg\" \r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-1536x1024.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-2048x1365.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-1920x1280.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-1400x933.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-1050x700.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-670x447.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-420x280.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-350x233.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Janek-Stempel_AxelReitz-1317-150x100.jpg 150w\" \r\n                                    width=\"768\"  \r\n                                    height=\"512\" \r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                    <\/a>\r\n\r\n                <\/article><!--- .post-teaser-->\r\n\r\n            \r\n        <\/div><!-- .teaser-grid -->\r\n\r\n\n\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n        <div class=\"teaser-grid grid-layout--3col has-spacing--s width--inline\">\r\n\r\n            \r\n                <article class=\"post-teaser\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/comment-and-debate\/a-second-life-for-building-materials\/\" rel=\"permalink\">\r\n\r\n                        <div class=\"post-teaser__content\">\r\n\r\n                            <span class=\"entry-categories\">Comment and debate<\/span>\r\n                            <h3 class=\"post-teaser__headline\">\r\n                                A second life for building materials                            <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"post-teaser__excerpt\">\r\n                                <p>The construction industry is one of the biggest consumers of raw materials and at the same time the world\u2019s largest producer of waste. Reclaiming building components could help reduce the problem.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                        <\/div><!-- .post-teaser__content -->\r\n\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                            <figure class=\"post-teaser__image\">\r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-768x1151.jpeg\" \r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-768x1151.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-200x300.jpeg 200w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-684x1024.jpeg 684w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-1025x1536.jpeg 1025w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-1050x1573.jpeg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-670x1004.jpeg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-420x629.jpeg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-350x524.jpeg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-300x449.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen-150x225.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/02-Zirkulaeres-Bauen.jpeg 1335w\" \r\n                                    width=\"768\"  \r\n                                    height=\"1151\" \r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                    <\/a>\r\n\r\n                <\/article><!--- .post-teaser-->\r\n\r\n            \r\n                <article class=\"post-teaser\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/award-winners\/nanna-heitmann-journey-along-the-yenisei-river\/\" rel=\"permalink\">\r\n\r\n                        <div class=\"post-teaser__content\">\r\n\r\n                            <span class=\"entry-categories\">Award winners<\/span>\r\n                            <h3 class=\"post-teaser__headline\">\r\n                                Journey along the Yenisei River.                            <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"post-teaser__excerpt\">\r\n                                <p>For her work &#8220;Hiding from Baba Yaga&#8221; Nanna Heitmann crosses Siberia, as her grandmother once did.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                        <\/div><!-- .post-teaser__content -->\r\n\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                            <figure class=\"post-teaser__image\">\r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-768x614.jpg\" \r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-768x614.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-300x240.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-1024x819.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-1536x1229.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-1400x1120.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-1050x840.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-670x536.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-420x336.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21-350x280.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Heitmann-HidingfromBabaYaga-21.jpg 2000w\" \r\n                                    width=\"768\"  \r\n                                    height=\"614\" \r\n                                    alt=\"\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                    <\/a>\r\n\r\n                <\/article><!--- .post-teaser-->\r\n\r\n            \r\n                <article class=\"post-teaser\">\r\n\r\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/comment-and-debate\/images-in-spite-of-all-photographic-testimony-from-auschwitz\/\" rel=\"permalink\">\r\n\r\n                        <div class=\"post-teaser__content\">\r\n\r\n                            <span class=\"entry-categories\">Comment and debate<\/span>\r\n                            <h3 class=\"post-teaser__headline\">\r\n                                Images in spite of all: photographic testimony from Auschwitz                            <\/h3>\r\n\r\n                            <div class=\"post-teaser__excerpt\">\r\n                                <p>In his groundbreaking study \u2018Images malgr\u00e9 tout\u2019, Georges Didi-Huberman contradicts the thesis that the Holocaust cannot be represented. His approach to the photographs from Auschwitz sparked a controversy.<\/p>\r\n                            <\/div>\r\n\r\n                        <\/div><!-- .post-teaser__content -->\r\n\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                            <figure class=\"post-teaser__image\">\r\n                                <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\"  \r\n                                    src=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-768x300.jpg\" \r\n                                    srcset=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-768x300.jpg 768w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-300x117.jpg 300w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-1024x399.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-1536x599.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-1920x749.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-1400x546.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-1050x410.jpg 1050w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-670x261.jpg 670w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-420x164.jpg 420w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-350x137.jpg 350w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1-150x59.jpg 150w, https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/wp-content\/uploads\/Didi-Huberman-Bilder-trotz-allem-1_2-1.jpg 2000w\" \r\n                                    width=\"768\"  \r\n                                    height=\"300\" \r\n                                    alt=\"Reconstruction of a negative strip by Alberto Errera, taken in Auschwitz concentration camp in 1944\"\r\n                                \/>\r\n                            <\/figure>\r\n\r\n                        \r\n                    \r\n                    <\/a>\r\n\r\n                <\/article><!--- .post-teaser-->\r\n\r\n            \r\n        <\/div><!-- .teaser-grid -->\r\n\r\n\n\n\n    <div class=\"btn-wrapper has-spacing--m\">\n        <a class=\"btn\" href=\"https:\/\/visualjournalism.de\/en\/magazine\/\" target=\"_blank\">TO THE MAGAZINE HOMEPAGE<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":24695,"template":"","tags":[425,331,374,408],"magazinkategorie":[419],"class_list":["post-76206","magazin","type-magazin","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-on-the-edge-en","tag-photo-series-en","tag-erinnerungskultur-en","tag-war-conflict","magazinkategorie-on-the-margins"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- 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