The beginnings of National Socialist tyranny were gradual, as everywhere else in Germany, and were accompanied by hope and euphoria among the wider masses. Opponents of the regime were persecuted and imprisoned at an early stage, e.g. in the Sonnenburg (Słońsk) penitentiary and concentration camp, one of the first of its kind ever.
The advance of the Red Army and its allies from the east towards Berlin brought the war into the Order-Warta region in real terms and with all its force by January 1945 at the latest. It finally became the scene of war events that can only be found in such a compressed form in a few other regions throughout Europe and which cost tens of thousands of people their lives shortly before the end of the war. These include the massacre in the Sonnenburg concentration camp the night before it was liberated, the 56-day siege and complete destruction of the old town and fortress of Küstrin, and the Battle of the Seelow Heights from 16-19 April 1945 as one of the largest battles on German soil.
The 2-day educational tour "Significant war events in 1945 in the Oder-Warta region" gives you an understanding of the course of events at the time from different perspectives and lets you share in the experiences of the soldiers and the population.
