The path in the beech forest of Ettersberg where Buchenwald concentration camp stands

A path crosses the beech forest on Ettersberg hill, from which Buchenwald camp takes its name ("Buchenwald" means "beech forest" in German). This same forest, which Goethe loved to walk through during his stays in Weimar, was chosen by the Nazis as the site for the camp in 1937. The tragic irony of this place lies in the contrast between the natural beauty of the forest and the horrors committed there. Prisoners were forced to cut down trees to build the camp, and beneath this apparent tranquility lie the ashes of thousands of victims.

Buchenwald, beech forest, Ettersberg, Goethe, Weimar, nature, memory