The gate with Arbeit Macht Frei inscription at Sachsenhausen camp entrance

The iron gate with the cynical inscription Arbeit Macht Frei (Work Sets You Free) marks the entrance to Sachsenhausen concentration camp. Viewed from inside the camp, the inscription appears reversed, while beyond the bars the vast Appellplatz where prisoners were gathered for roll calls is visible. This gate, set in Tower A, was the point of no return for the over 200,000 people deported here between 1936 and 1945. The mocking inscription concealed the reality of a system designed for exploitation and extermination.

arbeit macht frei, sachsenhausen gate, camp entrance, tower a, nazism