Last fall, my wife and I took a European River cruise. One of the stops was in Nuremberg. I went on the historical day trip and saw the outside of the building that held the SS headquarters and the courthouse where the trials were held. The courtroom is still in use today. Time constraints did not allow us to enter the buildings. We also went to the Zeppelin Field where the Nazi Party rallies were held. I cannot describe the emotions and feelings that overcame me when I stood in the exact spot where the little corporal with the funny moustache stood and reviewed the troops and spewed his tripe. The group then went to the Documentation Center Museum (Google it) for a 3 hour self guided tour. The Germans certainly do take ownership of what they did during WWII. Some of the displays and artifacts were so chilling that I actually saw people in tears.
One of the most poignant displays was set up in an area that resembled a set of train tracks. There were wooden ties and set on top of the ties were glass rails of neon light. On the left wall was the names of the death camps; Auschwitz, Belzec, Chelmno, Majdenek, Sobibor and Treblinka. The 'stones' between the ties were pieces of differently shaded grey cardboard. On each piece of cardboard was a person's name, where they were from, birth year or date (if known), the year they were murdered and the name of the camp where they were killed. If you couldn't look at that display and not feel any sense of dispair, you're not human.
When my wife was working in Berlin a few years ago, she and a girlfriend went to the Sachsenhausen concentration camp near Berlin. She said it was the most depressing and frightening place she has ever visited.
Thank you for posting your photos and sharing your experiences.
Mike