Events

Whether and how to address perpetratorship in concentration camp memorial sites has been a subject of controversial debate for decades. In the public consciousness, these historical sites are associated above all with the suffering and self-assertion of the prisoners.

Yet examining the perpetrators is essential to understanding how concentration camps came into being. Why did people commit themselves to working in such institutions? What motives, convictions or benefits guided them?

At the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum, for example, the residential houses of the female guards are the first buildings visitors see upon entering the grounds. They stand as a striking example of the close link between ideology and material incentive. In 2004, the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum became the first concentration camp memorial to open a dedicated exhibition on perpetrators; this was updated in 2020.

This year’s 17th Ravensbrück European Summer School builds on this engagement. It focuses on new research perspectives on perpetratorship – in particular with regard to gender-historical approaches, forms of collaboration in occupied territories, and questions of museum display and media representation. Continuities after 1945 and the need for shared strategies in educational work will also be addressed.

The Ravensbrück European Summer School is aimed at students, scholars, multipliers in historical-political education, and interested participants from diverse disciplines and generations. The varied programme includes lectures, guided tours and workshops, as well as film screenings and artistic evening events. Simultaneous German/English interpretation will be provided. 

The European Summer University is recognised as educational leave in Berlin. Registration for this year’s Summer School is closed. The complete programme is available for download here in English (PDF).

Please note: Due to engineering works on the RE5 railway line, from Monday 25 August to Wednesday 27 August 2025 only S-Bahn line S1 will operate between Berlin and Oranienburg. Further information here.

The 17th European Summer School is organized in cooperation with the Center for Research on Antisemitism at Technische Universität Berlin, the Leibniz Center for Contemporary History Potsdam, and the Leibniz Research Alliance “Value of the Past.” The event is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) and the Ministry of Science, Research and Culture of Brandenburg (MWFK). Special thanks go to Siemens AG and the International Friends of Ravensbrück Association for their generous financial support.

Venue

Ravensbrück Memorial Museum

Straße der Nationen
16798 Fürstenberg/Havel