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The collection comprises 205 biographical interviews with survivors of the early women’s concentration camps Moringen and Lichtenburg, as well as the Ravensbrück women’s concentration camp. Recorded since the 1980s in a consistent documentary format, the archive represents the most extensive cohesive collection of interviews related to the history of Ravensbrück. It provides a multi-perspective view into the experiences and memories of survivors from various European countries and political backgrounds.

The interviews offer valuable insight into the complex conditions of everyday life in the camps and reflect the diversity of individual remembrance and coping processes. They highlight specifically female experiences of persecution, imprisonment, and violence, and shed light on the realities of women imprisoned under National Socialism—including in numerous satellite camps. These accounts reveal not only the internal social structures of the main camp but also allow for an understanding of the wider camp system.

The interviews will be integrated into the memorial’s media library; accompanying photographs will be added to the photo archive, and documents and additional materials will be incorporated into the archival holdings and catalogued accordingly. The collection will thus be permanently accessible for research, education, and the wider public.

Thanks to the support of the BULEplus programme, the Ravensbrück Memorial Museum has been able to significantly expand its holdings and further strengthen its role as a place of historical research and education.

A public press event to present the archive will take place on 2 July 2025 at the cinema of the Filmmuseum Potsdam.

The BULEplus programme is funded by the Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media (BKM) based on a resolution of the German Bundestag.

Loretta Walz is a director, film producer, author, and lecturer. She has taught at the Berlin University of the Arts and the University of Luxembourg, among others. Her documentary The Women of Ravensbrück received the Adolf Grimme Award in 2006. In the same year, she was awarded the Federal Cross of Merit for her life’s work. Through her documentary work, she has played a key role in raising awareness of the history of women imprisoned in the Ravensbrück concentration camp and has significantly shaped public discourse on female experiences of persecution under National Socialism.