The ‘Engländerlager Ruhleben’ and war captivity 1914 till 1921
4 May – 25 November 2018
Old Barracks, Ground floor
One of the most famous internment camps of its time, the so called ‘Engländerlager’, was situated in the area of the former harness race track of Ruhleben. There, up to 5,000 British (as well as German-British) men where detained. Some of them had lived in the German Empire for years; others were there accidentally when the war broke out. Along the presentation of the Ruhleben Camp the exhibition imparts this piece of history of World War I, which is not well known today. A comparison to other POW and internment camps will be made at certain points of the exhibition, in order to broaden the altogether perspective.
Because of this, there most likely will also appear questions concerning modern camps. This is why the Swiss artist Michael Stoll will refer to refugee camps of the present through an art installation. His focus lies on the reasons for fleeing, the routes and stations of the refugees. Find out more about Michael Stolls work here.
