Jena, April 03, 2026. On April 11, 1945, around 4,000 prisoners of the Buchenwald concentration camp were driven through Jena on a death march. This year, the city again commemorates the victims and focuses on the history of systematic Nazi forced labor.
- What: Commemorative event and inauguration of an information stele on Nazi forced labor
- When: Friday, April 10, 2026, at 4:00 PM
- Where: Robert-Büchler-Weg, Jena (site of a former Nazi forced labor camp)
- Speaker: Jens-Christian Wagner (Director of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation)
Commemorating the Darkest Chapter of the City’s History
In the final days of the Second World War, shortly before the arrival of US troops, the SS cleared the Buchenwald concentration camp near Weimar. Thousands of completely exhausted prisoners were driven on so-called death marches through the Thuringian countryside, including the urban area of Jena. Many people did not survive these extreme hardships and fell victim to the final crimes of the National Socialists. As in every year, the city administration keeps the memory of these events alive.
Focus on the Exploitation of Forced Laborers
This year, another aspect of the Nazi dictatorship is being brought to the fore: the mass exploitation of forced laborers in Jena. To make the historical traces, some of which have become invisible in today’s cityscape, visible again, a new information stele will be inaugurated on Friday, April 10, at 4:00 PM.
The event will take place directly at Robert-Büchler-Weg, the site of a former Nazi forced labor camp. As the keynote speaker, Jens-Christian Wagner, the director of the Buchenwald and Mittelbau-Dora Memorials Foundation, will address those present and provide historical context.
Background: Armaments Industry and Forced Labor in Jena
During the Second World War, Jena developed into a central armaments location for the German Reich due to its resident large companies, particularly the optical industry and glass manufacturing (Zeiss and Schott). To maintain production essential to the war effort, thousands of civilian forced laborers, prisoners of war, and concentration camp inmates were deployed in the city. They were housed in barrack camps distributed throughout the city area and had to work under often inhumane conditions.
Robert-Büchler-Weg itself commemorates the Buchenwald survivor Robert Büchler, who was deported to the concentration camp as a child. He also survived the death marches and, after the war, worked tirelessly throughout his life to commemorate the victims of the Holocaust and for historical reappraisal.
Source:
Memories of the death march through Jena
Transparency note: This article was created automatically, editorially reviewed, and expanded with AI support.