"Cap Arcona on Rails"

Neustadt in Holstein will participate in the “Long Night of Democracy in Schleswig-Holstein” with a double lecture on October 2 at the zeiTTor. In the lecture, regional historians Dietrich Mau and Alfred Grüter will reconstruct the route of a death march from the Lübberstedt satellite camp near Bremen to Plön.
Interested members of the public are cordially invited to help keep the memory of these regional events alive and to join in conversation afterward over light refreshments.

Toward the end of World War II, the SS forced hundreds of thousands of concentration camp prisoners on death marches into the heart of the Reich to cover up their crimes. While the tragedy of the “Cap Arcona” is well known in Neustadt, the fate of other routes often remains obscure. One such route led from the Lübberstedt satellite camp near Bremen to Plön.
Regional historians Dietrich Mau and Alfred Grüter reconstruct the route of this train, which was fired upon by British low-flying aircraft near Eutin and Malente shortly before the end of the war. The attack claimed 61 lives and left many seriously injured.
The speakers also describe the liberation in Plön and the events of May 1945: The British had parts of Sierksdorf and Haffkrug evacuated to make way for a camp for “displaced persons.” As a result, 320 women—mostly Hungarian Jews—found temporary refuge in Sierksdorf and 20 others in Lenste before they were able to return to their homeland via Neustadt. 

This statewide series of events, held on the eve of German Unity Day on October 3, 2026, invites participants to strengthen democracy through dialogue and a vibrant culture of remembrance. It is coordinated by the State Commissioner for Political Education and the Schleswig-Holstein State Association of Adult Education Centers (VHS), sponsored by the Sparkassen, and covered by NDR.

The event in Neustadt in Holstein is a collaboration between the Cap Arcona Museum, the zeiTTor Museum, the City Library, the Adult Education Center (VHS), and the Association of Friends and Supporters of the Museum of the City of Neustadt in Holstein.

Date: Friday, October 2, 2026, 7:30 p.m.
Location: zeiTTor, Haakengraben 2-6, Neustadt in Holstein
Following the presentations, there will be an opportunity for discussion over light refreshments.
Admission is free.

(Source: Cap Arcona Museum)