Cap Arcona
Crime – Catastrophe – Liberation
Lübeck Bay, May 3, 1945, shortly before the end of World War II. Thousands of concentration camp prisoners are locked up by the German SS on ships in the Baltic Sea near Neustadt in Holstein. Airstrikes from the Royal Air Force hit the "Cap Arcona" and the "Thielbek" among others. Over 6,600 prisoners die. Simultaneously, SS soldiers and police officers along the shore of Neustadt in Holstein shoot hundreds of mostly Jewish women, men, and children from the Stutthof concentration camp. Just a few hours later, the British Army liberates the survivors.
The Cap Arcona Portal: Discovering history. Not forgetting the victims. Deepening knowledge – vividly and informatively.
News
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05.03.2026
Commemoration on May 3, 2026
The city of Neustadt in Holstein invites you to a public memorial event at the Cap-Arcona Honorary Cemetery at 10:30 AM.
Learn more -
04.03.2026
Construction Site for Documentation Center
Since mid-February 2026, a construction site has been established on Haakengraben Street next to the zeiTTor Museum.
Learn more -
03.03.2026
The Concept
Historians Julia Werner and Stefan Nies have developed the concept for the Cap-Arcona Documentation Center.
Learn more
The Cap Arcona portal under construction
The Cap Arcona portal is being created alongside the Cap Arcona Documentation Centre, which the city of Neustadt in Holstein is building in the city centre next to the zeiTTor Museum by 2028. The portal is aimed at anyone who would like to find out more about the tragic events of 3 May 1945 in the Bay of Lübeck. It is being developed by the town of Neustadt in Holstein in co-operation with the Cap-Arcona-Gedenken Network.
These sections will be offered:
- "Discover": timeline, multimedia stories and moving life stories
- “Remember”: interactive map that leads to cemeteries, memorials, stumbling blocks and other places of remembrance in the Baltic Sea region
- "Deepen": biographies, personal database, detailed texts, and a media collection
Take part!
Are you interested in contemporary history and would like to make a contribution?
We are looking for committed authors for articles and biographies.
The articles articles should deal with the so-called Cap Arcona disaster and the crimes committed in Neustadt in Holstein at the end of the war on 2 and 3 May 1945. Possible topics include: historical context, immediate and lasting consequences, culture of remembrance and commemoration. Example article
The biographies will describe people who have a direct or indirect connection with the events of 2/3 May 1945. These include, for example victims and survivors, perpetrators and responsible parties, ship personnel, residents, employees of the later DP camp, british occupying soldiers. Example biography Ernst Schneider will follow soon.
Length should be between 5,000 and 10,000 characters including spaces - supplemented by suitable illustrations.
Interested? Please contact us!
If you are interested, please contact us: caparcona@stadt-neustadt.de
Please contact the editorial team always in advance. This way we can avoid overlaps and support you if necessary.
A fee or expense allowance is possible by arrangement if you are unable to contribute on a voluntary basis.
The editor responsible for the Cap Arcona Portal is the Mayor of Neustadt in Holstein.
All texts on the Cap Arcona portal are checked by a specialised editorial team and only published once they have been approved.
Help us to become a comprehensive platform for information and remembrance of the events of 3 May 1945. Be part of this important project!
Stay Informed
With our german newsletter, we keep you updated about the Cap-Arcona Portal and the Cap-Arcona Documentation Center. It will be published starting from early summer 2026 with two to three issues per year.
Sign up for the newsletter (in german) here
A new documentation and learning centre
Cap Arcona documentation centre under construction
In the middle of Neustadt in Holstein, next to the zeiTTor, a new documentation centre is being built with a permanent exhibition and work areas for students and groups.
Find more information here