IWM Involvement: Exhibition at Sachsenhausen Memorial Site

On Monday, the exhibition "Administration as Crime: The SS-Agency 'Concentration Camps Inspectorate'" was opened in the so-called T-Building in Oranienburg. Also on display: An application for an interactive multimedia table developed by the IWM. The table was presented on site by experts Prof. Dr. Peter Gerjets, who heads the Multimodal Interaction lab at the IWM, Laura Peiffer-Siebert and Dr. Tjark Müller.

Bureaucratic history of the Nazi regime

Peter Gerjets explains the background to the project and how the multi-touch table will help visitors understand the content of the exhibition: "Through various empirical studies, we've explored ways to improve the communication of complex content about the bureaucratic history of the Nazi regime. Our aim is to stimulate visitors' interest and at the same time promote an understanding of the central psychological principles and mechanisms underlying the functioning of Nazi administrative structures".

Understanding connections through the multi-touch table 

The T building on Heinrich-Grüber-Platz, which now houses the tax office and the offices of the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation, was the headquarters of the 'Concentration Camps Inspectorate' (IKL) from 1938 to 1945. Based in Oranienburg, the IKL oversaw the entire network of concentration camps. The new permanent exhibition explores the elaborate bureaucratic system developed by the IKL to control prisoners in an appalling manner and to determine the training, pay and equipment of the camp staff.

The multi-touch table is the centrepiece of the exhibition. It allows visitors to explore and interpret various documents. This interactive experience helps explain the significance of file numbers, stamps, annotations and signatures, and provides context for visitors.

The exhibition is open on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays from 09:00 to 12:00 and on Tuesdays from 09:00 to 17:00.

Further Information
Sachsenhausen Memorial website: Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum (sachsenhausen-sbg.de)
Media coverage of the exhibition: Berlin & Brandenburg: KZ-Gedenkstätte zeigt "Verwaltung als Verbrechen" - n-tv.de (German only)