Events
Please note, the main language of all events is German - unless differently noted.
"Brothel Barracks"
Forced sexual labour under National Socialism
13 Februar | 7 pm
The fact that there were brothels in the Nazi forced labour system is only known in specialist circles. Why has forced sex labour hardly been investigated to this day?
In 1942, Heinrich Himmler ordered the construction of brothels in some concentration camps. The topic was taboo for a long time after the war, but is now well known thanks to a number of films, studies and exhibitions.
Himmler had already ordered the construction of brothels for civilian forced labourers in 1941. So-called foreign labour brothels were set up throughout the Reich, and by the end of 1943 there were already 60 of them. To this day, their history has hardly been researched. This gap in the culture of remembrance is the subject of the artistic exhibition "Missing Female Stories", which can be seen at the Documentation Centre until 6 April 2025.
Welcome address:
Dr Christine Glauning, Director of the Documentation Centre for Nazi Forced Labour
Short presentations:
Dr Robert Sommer, historian, author of "The Concentration Camp Brothel"
Dr Joanna Ostrowska, historian, author of various studies on forced sex labour
Dr Birgit Szepanski, artist, exhibition "Missing Female Stories" on a "brothel barrack" in Königsheide, Treptow
Moderation:
Dr Andrea Genest, Director of the Ravensbrück Memorial
Accompanying the exhibition „Missing Female Stories“.