Dokumentationsstätte Gelsenkirchen im Nationalsozialismus, History museum in Gelsenkirchen, Germany
This history museum focuses on the Nazi period in Gelsenkirchen and documents local perspectives of that era through diverse materials. Photographs, documents, and digital displays illustrate how residents lived, who faced persecution, and how resistance took shape in the city.
The institution developed as a project to preserve and make visible the local experience during the Nazi period and its immediate aftermath. From this mission emerged a collection documenting the fates of citizens, those persecuted, and those who resisted.
The exhibition reveals how residents navigated life under Nazi rule and what resistance looked like in their daily routines. Personal belongings and accounts show how ordinary people experienced and processed this dark chapter.
The museum is centrally located and easily reached on foot or by public transport. Visitors should allow adequate time to absorb the heavy subject matter at a thoughtful pace.
The archives hold hundreds of witness accounts and personal documents that often come to light only through visitor research and inquiries. These collections demonstrate how preserving individual stories prevents them from disappearing from memory.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.