Flossenbürg Concentration Camp Memorial

The Flossenbürg Concentration Camp Memorial (KZ-Gedenkstätte Flossenbürg) in eastern Bavaria preserves the site of one of the major Nazi concentration camps, close to the Czech border roughly halfway between Nuremberg and Prague. Around 100,000 people from more than 30 countries were imprisoned here and in its subcamps between 1938 and 1945, and at least 30,000 died. Today the memorial combines original buildings, a landscaped "Valley of Death" and two permanent exhibitions, with free admission.

History of the Camp

The SS opened the camp in May 1938, bringing the first 100 prisoners from Dachau. The site was chosen for its granite: inmates were forced to work in the quarry run by the SS-owned company DESt, and later in armaments production, including parts for the Messerschmitt Bf 109 fighter. The camp grew into a network of nearly 80 subcamps, 27 of which held women.

Flossenbürg is also where theologian and resistance figure Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed on April 9, 1945. U.S. Army units reached the camp on April 23, 1945, finding about 1,500 seriously ill prisoners. A first memorial was created by Polish displaced persons as early as 1947. Since 2003 the site has been run by the Bavarian Memorials Foundation.

What You Will See

• "Flossenbürg Concentration Camp 1938–1945": the main exhibition in the former prisoners' laundry, opened in 2007 and focused on the individual stories of people deported from across Europe.
• "What Remains": an exhibition on the camp's aftermath and how it has been remembered.
• The former SS headquarters and traces of the roll-call square.
• The Valley of Death, with the crematorium, the walled "Pyramid of Ashes" and national memorials.
• Camp cemeteries, including a collective cemetery holding at least 5,576 victims moved from other sites in Bavaria.

The former granite quarry, where commercial work ended in 2024, is gradually being integrated into the memorial.

Opening Hours and Tours

As of October 2026, the memorial is open daily 9 a.m.–5 p.m. from March to November and 9 a.m.–4 p.m. from December to February. Entry to the grounds and exhibitions is free. Free public tours (in German) start at 2 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays, with no booking required; groups can arrange educational programs in advance. The memorial does not recommend visits for children under 12.

How to Get There

Flossenbürg is about a 1.5-hour drive from Nuremberg. Without a car, take a regional train to Weiden, Altenstadt an der Waldnaab or Neustadt an der Waldnaab, then regional bus 6272/1922 (40–55 minutes) to the stop "Flossenbürg-Gedenkstätte"; the Deutschlandticket is valid on these regional services. All parking lots are free, and the upper lot has EV charging points.

Planning Your Visit

Allow at least 2 to 3 hours. The museum café is open weekdays 10 a.m.–5 p.m. and weekends and holidays 1–5 p.m. For context and a sobering overview of the valley, many visitors also climb to the castle ruin above the village.