Cologne Travel Tip:
National Socialism Documentation Centre (EL-DE Haus)
National Socialism Documentation Centre (EL-DE Haus)
EL-DE Haus, officially the Nazism Documentation Center, located in Cologne, is the former headquarters of the Gestapo and now a museum documenting the Third Reich.
The building was at first the business premises of Jewish jeweler Leopold Dahmen, and the building takes its name from his initials. In 1934, the Nazis seized the building from him and turned it into the headquarters of the secret police, the Gestapo. Surprisingly, the building survived the Allied bombing of Cologne during World War II, while 90% of the city was destroyed. After the bombings, the basements of the building, which had been used as prison cells and torture rooms for forced laborers and political enemies, were used to store wartime files and paperwork. Inscriptions made on the walls of the prison cells by inmates can still be viewed today. The building was the site of many executions, as well as deaths due to overcrowding and poor hygienic conditions.
In 2006, the National Socialist Documentation Center was awarded the Best in Heritage award, which is given to select museums.
Hours: Monday - Friday 10am - 4pm (open until 6pm on Thursday), Saturday and Sunday 11am - 4pm.
Admission: Adults 3.6 €, Concessions 1.50 €, Children under 18 years Free.
[ Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/EL-DE_Haus ]
Related: http://www.koelntourismus.de/en/sehenswertes-kultur/museen-in-koeln/staedt-museen/ns-dokumentationszentrum-el-de-haus.html
Address: Appellhofplatz 23-25, 50668 Köln
Tags: Cologne, Naziism, Gestapo
Location of National Socialism Documentation Centre (EL-DE Haus)
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