The Anniversary of the Liberation at the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum
80th Anniversary of Liberation – May 1 to 4, 2025
Anually, the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum marks the anniversary of the liberation of the Women's Concentration Camp Ravensbrück on 30st April 1945, the historic date of its liberation by the Red Army. The anniversary is jointly organised by the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum and the International Ravensbrück Committee. The centrepiece of the commemorations is the central commemoration ceremony with speeches by a survivor of the concentration camp as well as representatives of state and federal politics. Afterwards a wreath-laying ceremony will take place on the banks of Lake Schwedt. Throughout the weekend there will be a programme of events including exhibition openings, guided tours, readings and other commemorative events.
This year, the Ravensbrueck Memorial Museum warmly invited to attent the events commemorating the 80th anniversary of the liberation in Fürstenberg/Havel, from May 1 to 4, 2025. It is was the last anniversary which many survivors were able to attend in person. As a result, the perspectives of the second and third generations are gaining increasing importance. Descendants of former prisoners share their relatives’ stories and reflect on their own family histories. Their active involvement in public discourse and memorial work will be all the more vital at the upcoming anniversary.
Historical Background
Shortly before the end of the war, the International, Swedish, and Danish Red Cross evacuated around 7,500 prisoners to Sweden, Switzerland, and France. Due to an evacuation order, the remaining 20,000 prisoners were forced into marching columns heading northwest. Many died on these death marches. On April 30, 1945, the Red Army liberated the Ravensbrück concentration camp and the approximately 3,000 sick prisoners who had been left behind.
However, liberation did not mark the end of suffering for many women, men, and children. Many of them died in the weeks, months, and years that followed. The survivors often suffered for decades from the consequences of their imprisonment in the concentration camp.
After the liberation, the Soviet army took over large parts of the former concentration camp. Since 1948, former prisoners and the Association of Persecutees of the Nazi Regime have worked to preserve at least the area around the crematorium and to transform it into a place of remembrance. The first memorial ceremony took place there in September 1948. Such commemorations have been held annually ever since and continue to provide a space for encounter, remembrance, and exchange.
