Facts & Files was commissioned by the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum to conduct research on prisoners of the special camp no. 7.

As from May 1945, the Soviet secret service (NKVD) built ten special camps in Germany’s Soviet occupied zone for detaining German civilian prisoners.

‘Special Camp Number 7’ was initially situated in Weesow near Werneuchen, but was moved to the site of the former Nazi concentration camp in Sachsenhausen in August 1945. In summer 1948, it was renamed ‘Special Camp Number 1’. Until its disbandment in March 1950, more than 60,000 people were detained there and at least 12,000 died because of horrific detention conditions, disease, hunger, as well as physical and mental debilitation.

Facts & Files undertook archival research on over 100 biographies, photos and documents relating to detainees for the permanent exhibition about the Soviet Special Camp in Sachsenhausen. The information, collected from 13 different archives, has been compiled into a database.