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The remains
of Camp Dora, then and now
 
The
3rd Armored Division inspects the ground of Camp Dora, 1945.
Ed
Straten's photo taken fifty+ years later from the same exact spot.
(Click
on photos to enlarge)
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(1) GDR marker placed
some years ago, (2, 3, 4, 5) Views from the center of the camp, (6) Decauville
track runs now to nowhere and the Mittelwerk looms in the background.
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(1, 2) Road to the
camp near the entrance to Tunnel B on the right, (3, 4) Views from east
and west on the main roads in the camp, (5) Foundations remain of the barracks
and huts.
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In
June of 1945 the American Legion delegation toured Camp Dora.
Ed
Straten's photo taken fifty+ years later from the same exact spot.
(Click
on photos to enlarge)
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(1, 2, 3) Original
camp entrance, notice the remaining Decauville railway tracks, (4, 5) Views
from the center of the camp, (6) Guard tower and bomb shelter.
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(1) Camp hut reconstructed
from the remains of three original buildings, (2) The original crematorium
on the hillside, (3) Photo of one oven in 1945, (4) View of camp from crematorium,
(5) Kohnstein as seen from a distance, (6) Railway wagen in tribute in
those who suffered.
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Outside
of the Mittelwerk various V-2 parts were stored in the open.
Ed
Straten's photo taken fifty+ years later from the same exact spot.
(Click
on photos to enlarge)
Camp Dora Website: http://www.dora.de/
Opening times:
October 1 - March 31
10:00 - 16:00 hours
Museum and tour closed on
Mondays (site itself is open)
Tours weekdays 11.00 and
14:00 hours (~ 90 min.)
Tours Saturday and Sunday
11:00, 13:00 and 15:00 hours.
April 1 - September 30
10:00 - 18:00 hours
Museum and tour closed on
Mondays (site itself is open)
Tours weekdays 11.00 and
14:00 hours (~ 90 min.)
Tours Saturday and Sunday
11:00, 13:00, 15:00 and 16:00 hours.
Tour takes about 90 min.
and goes into Mittelwerk underground factory
Tour and entry free of charge.
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Today, a visit to Camp Dora and the Mittelwerk tunnels can be described
as a haunting experience. On the day the images below were photographed
the weather was appropriately overcast and raining, which added to the
overall sad feeling that was experienced. With the exception of the buildings
cleared from their foundations in the 1960s, the remains of the prisoner
camp—along with the interior of the manufacturing tunnels—are surprisingly
intact even after 60+ years. The odd silence of the surroundings only amplified
the reality of what had occurred here more than 50 years ago.
