New visitor center to be established at the former concentration camp memorial site
The Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum is set to undergo a significant transformation with the construction of a new visitor center and seminar building. The two-story square building, designed by Lankes and Koengter and La.Bar, is expected to cost around 17 million euros and occupy an area of 1850 square meters, east of the former SS economic building along the historic camp road.
The current visitor center at Sachsenhausen is struggling to accommodate the increasing number of visitors, which has now reached 500,000 per year, double the initial expectation of 300,000. Visitors have described the conditions as a "nightmare," and modern presentation technology is lacking.
To address these issues, the new building will be equipped with modern presentation technology and will be designed to handle the current number of visitors comfortably. The building will include a reception area, waiting zones, book sales, an event room, a cafeteria, seminar rooms, and offices.
The design of the new building was chosen as the winner among 20 participating firms due to its compact structure that combines visitor center and seminar building. The new building will have windows and will not be cramped or underground like the current visitor center.
The construction of the new building is expected to be completed by 2029, although a specific date has not been committed to. To expedite the realization of the project, special funds from the federal and state governments will be used.
A parking lot for tour buses is also part of the development plan and is scheduled to be completed by 2026. The new visitor center and seminar building are crucial steps in the target plan for the further development of the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, which was decided in 2022.
Despite extensive online searches, there is no available information to explain why the design by Lankes and Koengter and La.Bar was chosen as the winner for the new visitor center and seminar building at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum. For more detailed insights into this architectural decision, consulting official announcements from the Sachsenhausen Memorial authority or architectural competition reports would be necessary.
- The new visitor center at Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum, focusing on health-and-wellness, will offer modern presentation technology to enhance the visitor experience.
- The environmental-science field, through appropriate building design, will be showcased in the new visitor center, as it aims for a less cramped and more open structure.
- The new building, encompassing fitness-and-exercise with its spacious seminar rooms and event area, will serve as a conducive environment for discussions and workshops.
- In the realm of space-and-astronomy, the cafeteria within the new visitor center could explore nutrition and its role in supporting mental health during space travel and research.
