Der Ort des Terrors is a German documentary television series produced by Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) and broadcast on the public‑service channel ARD. The full title of the series is Der Ort des Terrors – Geschichte der nationalsozialistischen Konzentrations‑ und Vernichtungslager (English: “The Place of Terror – History of the National‑Socialist Concentration and Extermination Camps”).
Overview
The series provides a comprehensive historical examination of the Nazi concentration and extermination camp system. Each episode focuses on a specific camp or group of camps, detailing their establishment, operational structures, daily life for prisoners, and the broader role of the camps within the Holocaust and the Nazi regime’s policies of repression and genocide.
Production
- Producer: Westdeutscher Rundfunk (WDR) in cooperation with ARD‑the German public‑service broadcaster.
- Initial broadcast: 2019 – 2020, released in a multi‑part format on ARD.
- Format: Documentary episodes ranging from approximately 45 to 60 minutes each, combining archival footage, survivor testimonies, expert interviews, and on‑site filming at former camp locations.
Content focus
The series covers a range of camps, including but not limited to:
- Auschwitz‑Birkenau
- Dachau
- Buchenwald
- Mauthausen‑Gusen
- Sachsenhausen
- Ravensbrück
- Neu‑Neu‑York (the so‑called “KZ Lublin”)
- Others, illustrating the diversity of functions (labor, extermination, transit) within the camp network.
Reception
Der Ort des Terrors was noted for its meticulous research and for presenting the camp system within the broader context of Nazi ideology and war policy. Reviews in German media highlighted its educational value and its contribution to public remembrance culture. The series has been used as a resource in academic settings and public history projects.
Significance
The documentary series contributes to the historiography of the Holocaust by consolidating dispersed archival material and survivor accounts into a single, accessible format. It serves both as a tool for scholarly reference and as a means of public education about the mechanisms and consequences of state‑directed terror during the Third Reich.
