Visiting the Sachsenhausen Concentration camp and the Holocaust museum were eye-opening experiences to me. I thought I knew the sorrowful history of WWII and the persecution on Jews, but it was worse than I thought.
One big thing that I noticed at Sachsenhausen camp is the sign in front of the door. “ARBEIT MACHT FREI.” This means “work hard and you will get freedom.” It gave people a false hope that they can get out of that place if they work their tail off, but actually they would likely be killed, no matter how hard they worked. Another thing that I noticed and am curious about is how humans can do these horrible things to other human beings. Especially, when most of these Nazis are people who have had education and even claim to be helping others around them.
Lastly, this history affects Germany and Europe largely today. They don’t hide or cover up their history, instead they admit their faults and have put up memorials and museums to never forget. They want to send a message to the world that we can never let this happen again. I think this is my biggest takeaway. These horrific events did not happen that long ago and I hope we never forget.