descendants stuff

DS036 Honoring the women of the Sachsenhausen brothel (english)

Kelsey interviews Tom Mustroph who, along with partner Barbara Gstaltmayr, is working to create a memorial honoring the women who were forced to work at the Sachsenhausen brothel.  The working title of the project is:  “Gedenken für die Frauen, die im Lagerbordell des KZ Sachsenhausen zur Prostition gezwungen wurden” In english this translates to: »In remembrance of the women who were forced into prostitution in the camp brothel of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp« This memorial will be at the site of the former site of the brothel. The creative direction is led by the artist Monica Bonvicini with students of Universität der Künste Berlin (Berlin University of the Arts). This project is also in collaboration with the historian Robert Sommer. Visiting Sachsenhausen, the brothel is not mentioned on the visitors guide map but you can find this site behind the pathology lab building. There you can see the metal frame outline of the former brothel, filled with large gravel. The title on the frame says, “sonderbau” or “special building”, which was the official Nazi label for the brothel. We look forward to hearing more about this memorial project when it is created and installed in the future.  If you’d like to know more about the brothel at Sachsenhausen, who was there, how it worked and how it was a part of the Nazi system, go to Episode 35 [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/ds035-forced-prostitution-in-concentration-camps-englisch/] to hear the interview with Robert Sommer who has beautifully researched and published a book on the topic and is collaborating with Tom and Barbara on the memorial. [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/image-1024x683.jpeg]Commemoration ceremony honoring the women who were forced to work at the Sachsenhausen brothel. This event took place during the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Sachsenhausen. Photo credit: Karsten Schirmer, for the Sachsenhausen Memorial, May, 2026. ---------------------------------------- Descendants Stuff podcast is produced by Jakob Feisthauer, Kelsey Snook and Nicole Wines – three descendants of Sachsenhausen prisoners and co-creators of the Sachsenhausen Stuff [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/] project. The Descendants Stuff team would like to extend a special thank you to the team at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum [https://www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/en/] especially Dr. Astrid Ley, and the members of the educational department’s project “What Voice Do We Have?”, as well as the descendant’s collective, Voices of the Next Generation [http://voices-of-the-next-generations.org/]. Our theme music, “Heil, Sachsenhausen!” was written and performed by former Sachsenhausen prisoner Aleksander Kulisiewicz. Thanks to the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum [https://www.ushmm.org/] and the Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection [https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn546848] for granting permission for its use. If you are a Sachsenhausen descendant who would like to share your story, please contact us [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/contact/].

DS035 Forced prostitution in concentration camps (english)

In this episode, Kelsey speaks with Robert Sommer, author of the book, “The Concentration Camp Brothel: Forced Sexual Labor Under Nazi Rule [https://fordhampress.com/the-concentration-camp-brothel-hb-9781531509903.html]”.  Sachsenhausen operated a brothel within the camp, located above the morgue of the pathology building. Robert shares why the brothel existed, how it fit into the Nazi system of operations and racial hierarchy, who was allowed to visit, the complex victim-perpetrator dynamic and why it’s challenging to talk about even 80 years later. If you’re planning a visit to the Sachsenhausen memorial we encourage you to look for and ask about the brothel. The building no longer exists, it doesn’t appear on the map and even its official name (“Sonderbau”, which translates to “Special Building”) hardly explains what happened there. Robert’s book was published by Fordham Press under the ISBN 978-1-5315-0991-0.  The German edition was published by Ferdinand Schöningh under the ISBN 978-3-506-79334-8. [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Sommer_Brothel_Door-681x1024.jpg]Example of a brothel room door with viewing window (photo: Robert Sommer, Auschwitz, 2005) [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Pay_voucher_Sachsenhausen.jpg]Sachsenhausen bonus voucher for the value of .50 Reichsmarks. This could be used for purchases within the camp, including a visit to the brothel. [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-1.jpeg]Authorization certificate allowing a Sachsenhausen prisoner to visit the camp brothel. [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-977x1024.png] [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/image-1-1024x768.png] ---------------------------------------- Descendants Stuff podcast is produced by Jakob Feisthauer, Kelsey Snook and Nicole Wines – three descendants of Sachsenhausen prisoners and co-creators of the Sachsenhausen Stuff [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/] project. The Descendants Stuff team would like to extend a special thank you to the team at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum [https://www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/en/] especially Dr. Astrid Ley, and the members of the educational department’s project “What Voice Do We Have?”, as well as the descendant’s collective, Voices of the Next Generation [http://voices-of-the-next-generations.org/]. Our theme music, “Heil, Sachsenhausen!” was written and performed by former Sachsenhausen prisoner Aleksander Kulisiewicz. Thanks to the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum [https://www.ushmm.org/] and the Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection [https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn546848] for granting permission for its use. If you are a Sachsenhausen descendant who would like to share your story, please contact us [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/contact/].

DS034 Horst Jonas (german/deutsch)

Horst Jonas wurde am 24. Juni 1914 in Bremerhaven geboren. Im Jahr 1935 wurde er verhaftet und wegen kommunistischen Widerstands zu einer Zuchthausstrafe verurteilt. Nach Verbüßung seiner Haft wurde er 1939 in das Konzentrationslager Sachsenhausen eingeliefert. Von dort aus wurde er zunächst nach Auschwitz und später nach Buchenwald verlegt. Am 22. Juni 1967 starb er in Berlin. In dieser Episode spricht Jakob mit Werner Jonas, dem Sohn von Horst Jonas.

DS033 Dr. Astrid Ley (english)

For this episode, the full podcast team of Descendent Stuff came together in Tower A on the site of the former Sachsenhausen concentration camp. The occasion was the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the camp. Kelsey, Nicole, and Jakob spoke with Dr. Astrid Ley, lead researcher and professional director of the memorial. They discussed the conditions in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp before the Second World War, as well as the memorial’s work with descendants of former prisoners. They also talked about the new exhibition in Barrack 39, which was opened during the 81st anniversary events and which Kelsey, Nicole, and Jakob are a part of. If you are a descendant of a former prisoner of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp and would like to get in touch with the memorial, please visit their new website https://descendants.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/ [https://descendants.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/] ---------------------------------------- Descendants Stuff podcast is produced by Jakob Feisthauer, Kelsey Snook and Nicole Wines – three descendants of Sachsenhausen prisoners and co-creators of the Sachsenhausen Stuff [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/] project. The Descendants Stuff team would like to extend a special thank you to the team at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum [https://www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/en/] especially Dr. Astrid Ley, and the members of the educational department’s project “What Voice Do We Have?”, as well as the descendant’s collective, Voices of the Next Generation [http://voices-of-the-next-generations.org/]. Our theme music, “Heil, Sachsenhausen!” was written and performed by former Sachsenhausen prisoner Aleksander Kulisiewicz. Thanks to the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum [https://www.ushmm.org/] and the Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection [https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn546848] for granting permission for its use. If you are a Sachsenhausen descendant who would like to share your story, please contact us [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/contact/].

DS032 Dik de Boef (english)

Dik de Boef is the honorary president of the International Sachsenhausen Committee. On the occasion of the 81st anniversary of the liberation of the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, Nicole spoke with him about his parents’ activities during World War II, his own experiences during the war, and his commitment to peace and democracy. ---------------------------------------- Descendants Stuff podcast is produced by Jakob Feisthauer, Kelsey Snook and Nicole Wines – three descendants of Sachsenhausen prisoners and co-creators of the Sachsenhausen Stuff [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/] project. The Descendants Stuff team would like to extend a special thank you to the team at the Sachsenhausen Memorial and Museum [https://www.sachsenhausen-sbg.de/en/] especially Dr. Astrid Ley, and the members of the educational department’s project “What Voice Do We Have?”, as well as the descendant’s collective, Voices of the Next Generation [http://voices-of-the-next-generations.org/]. Our theme music, “Heil, Sachsenhausen!” was written and performed by former Sachsenhausen prisoner Aleksander Kulisiewicz. Thanks to the United States Holocaust Memorial and Museum [https://www.ushmm.org/] and the Aleksander Kulisiewicz collection [https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn546848] for granting permission for its use. If you are a Sachsenhausen descendant who would like to share your story, please contact us [https://sachsenhausen-stuff.com/contact/].