Hadamar Memorial Museum is located in the historical building of the former Hadamar killing centre. While you are here, it is possible to view the historical rooms and walk around the outdoor areas. By means of several exhibitions, the Memorial Museum also provides information on the history of the site and the Nazi “euthanasia” crimes.

The Memorial Museum includes the historic building as well as a larger courtyard where the wooden bus garage that was once part of the “T4” programme is located. It is also possible to visit the former cemetery of the institution located on the hill behind the Memorial Museum. This site has since been transformed into a memorial landscape. The exhibitions can be found both in the historic building as well as in the outdoor areas.

Historic building and outside areas

The basement of the former killing centre was rebuilt at the end of 1940 and then used to murder and incinerate people throughout 1941. Here is where the former gas chamber, the room that was once used for dissection and a larger room with remnants of the cremation furnaces can be found.

The courtyard holds the wooden garage for the buses that used to transport patients to Hadamar in 1941. The hill behind the Memorial Museum is the site of the former institutional cemetery where those who were murdered between 1942 and 1945 were buried. In 1964, this area was transformed into a memorial landscape.

The historic building and the former bus garage are open to visitors during regular opening hours, whereas the outdoor areas can also be visited outside of opening hours.

Colour photograph of a wooden garage with three large gates in the courtyard of Hadamar Memorial Museum
Former bus garage in the courtyard of Hadamar Memorial Museum. Photo: Hadamar Memorial Museum/Valentin Pfleger

The permanent exhibition "Transferred to Hadamar"

The permanent exhibition “Transferred to Hadamar. A history of the Nazi “euthanasia” crimes in Hadamar” tells the story of the “euthanasia” murder activities in Hadamar in 1941 and from 1942 to 1945. It illuminates the individual fates of many of those persecuted and murdered here. At the same time, the permanent exhibition places this history in the context of the long-term developments surrounding the psychiatric hospital in Hadamar as well as in the prior historical context of the Nazis murdering the ill (Krankenmorde). By taking a closer look at the post-war trials and the presentation of how those murdered were remembered after 1945, the historical arc is stretched all the way to the present.

The permanent exhibition is presented on large panels in the main building of the Memorial Museum and is accessible during opening hours. As of today the permanent exhibition is in German language only. An English catalogue can be borrowed from the memorial.

A large room containing exhibition panels. The two panels in the foreground bear the title "Fate", as translated, and show the portraits of two young women.
Permanent exhibition of Hadamar Memorial Museum. Photo: Hadamar Memorial Museum/Tanja Wesel

Expansion of the exhibition "The historical building as reflected by time"

The expansion of the exhibition “The historical building as reflected by time” provides an introduction to the structural history of the building, which served as the main building of the Hadamar killing centre between 1941 and 1945. The four roll-up displays in the foyer of the Memorial Museum offer information about the history of the building from its time as a “correctional institution” to the Memorial Museum it is today. The other parts of the exhibition are dispersed throughout the building and the former bus garage, and provide information about these historically important rooms.

As of today the exhibition is in German language only and can be visited during opening hours of the Memorial Museum.

Two roll-up displays with texts and images are located in an entrance area.
Expansion of the exhibition "The historical building as reflected by time". Photo: Hadamar Memorial Museum/Tanja Wesel

The outdoor exhibition "Garden – Institution cemetery – Place of remembrance"

The outdoor exhibition “Garden – Institution cemetery – Place of remembrance. The outdoor areas of the Mönchberg” addresses the history of the former institution’s outside areas, in particular the former institutional cemetery. This cemetery was set up so that the bodies of those murdered between 1942 and 1945 could be buried in mass graves. In 1964, this area was transformed into a memorial landscape.

Large panels are located next to the stairs leading up to the cemetery and the memorial landscape on the hill behind the Memorial Museum. The information on these panels is in German and English. This exhibition can be accessed outside of the Memorial Museum’s opening hours.

An outdoor exhibition panel entitled "The funerals at the killing centre 1942-1945". Another panel can be seen in the background although it is blurred.
The outdoor exhibition "Garden - Institution cemetery - Place of remembrance". Photo: Hadamar Memorial Museum/Tanja Wesel

Memorial book

The memorial book in remembrance of those murdered in the course of the Nazi “euthanasia” crimes at the Hadamar killing centre lists the names, birth and death dates of nearly 15,000 people. In a separate part of the exhibition, the large-format book offers the visitor an individual approach to both the individual people who were murdered as well as to the sheer number of victims.

The memorial book is integrated in the permanent exhibition and can be viewed during opening hours of the Memorial Museum.

A large book lies open in a wooden frame, the writing of which is illegible. A sign above it reads "Memorial book", as translated.
Memorial book of Hadamar Memorial Museum. Photo: Hadamar Memorial Museum/Tanja Wesel