Police Brutality and Forced Labor

The Osnabrück Gestapo and the
Ohrbeck Labor Education Camp

The new exhibition “Police Brutality and Forced Labor” addresses a crime of Nazi Germany that has received little attention: The many measures and violent action taken against foreign forced laborers by the Gestapo during World War II.

The exhibition, which is presented in two parts, focuses in the Gestapokeller Memorial on the history of the Osnabrück Gestapo und in the Augustaschacht Memorial on the history of the Ohrbeck labor education camp. The memorials can be visited individually or in any sequence.

The Exhibition – Special Features

The new exhibition documents police violence and forced labor at the site of the two memorials during the Nazi era. Thanks to clear and concise texts and careful use of screens, visitors have an unobstructed view of the original rooms.

Survivors speak in videos about their mistreatment by the Gestapo Osnabrück and in the Ohrbeck labor education camp (AEL). Visitors are introduced to the people responsible for the police violence. Witnesses of the violence are also given a chance to speak. The visible traces of history are explained in words and pictures at both sites.

The exhibitions at both memorials have a similar design. Visitors do not need any previous knowledge. The most important facts can be learned in just 30 minutes. However, to see everything offered at the sites, plan to spend an hour and a half at the Gestapokeller Memorial and two and a half hours at the Augustaschacht Memorial.

Film for the exhibition

A brief film introducing the exhibitions in the Gestapokeller and Augustaschacht Memorials.

Exhibition Brochure

A 48-page brochure accompanies the exhibition. It contains the main content of the exhibition in a compact and clear presentation. The lives of the people persecuted by the Gestapo are described in short biographical texts. It also shows the people who exercised the power of the Gestapo or assisted in the persecution. The history and aftermath of police violence and forced labor in the Osnabrück region is presented through the memories and photographs of survivors, maps of the camp sites and birthplaces in Europe, photographs of historical documents and objects from the time of the camp as well as current photos from the exhibition. The brochure costs 5 euros and can be purchased at the memorial or ordered.