Excursion to Buchenwald concentration camp

Review

With a fully loaded minibus, we set off on our day trip to Weimar and Buchenwald. Even on the bus, there were lively conversations. Once we arrived at Ettersberg, we met up with four more participants on our day trip. In total, there were 13 of us, ranging in age from 15 to 85.
I had already ordered tickets in advance for a guided tour of the concentration camp, so we didn’t have to wait. Our guide was a historian with an astonishing knowledge of the Nazi era and the Buchenwald camp. He took us through the camp’s origins, the horrific living conditions, the appalling treatment—especially of Jewish prisoners—right up to the liberation by the Americans in April ’45. We were able to “grill” him with questions, all of which he answered in great detail. After just under two and a half hours, the tour was over, and we visited a few exhibition sites on our own.
After all that, we needed a break. We drove to Weimar and had dinner at the restaurant “Zum schwarzen Bären.” There we enjoyed each other’s company, had deep conversations, and, of course, had a very good meal.
Afterward, we visited the house where Weimar’s first Jewish resident lived. His name was Jakob Elkan. His initials can still be seen on the house on Windischenstraße today. We continued on to a building that once housed a successful Jewish department store. The owners were sent to Buchenwald in 1938 and forced to transfer their entire fortune to Nazi Germany. Today, there are three Stolpersteine in front of the entrance.
At the end of our excursion, we visited the Old Jewish Cemetery. What a peaceful place!!! It was in use until the end of the nineteenth century. Then it fell into oblivion. The gravestones were knocked over, some covered with soil, and fruit trees were planted. In the late 1980s, the gravestones were rediscovered, re-erected, and a Shoah memorial stone was added. There we concluded the day with a lively prayer gathering. Moved and filled with many impressions, we set off for home. Thank you, Jesus, for this special day!!!
Kerstin Kluge