EL-DE Haus, Cologne

We visited the museum on 6th Dec 2005, and I wonder if it was the same gentleman on reception as mentioned by the prvious reviewer. An absolute diamond, helpful and informative, a joy to meet in such a place of previous terror. The display was extremely well laid out, informative and extensive in its' coverage of the events of the period. The subject of these peoples' suffering under the oppresion they suffered,will always be a difficult issue to present in a clinical manner, and nor should it be, we all learn from the mistakes of the past, and this museum provides true understanding of the emotive issues of the time. The cell area is one where emotions can run riot, trying, impossibly, to understand what those innocent people suffered at the hands of moronic people. Particularly poignent was the date of our visit, albeit 61 years on, inscribed on the wall of one of the cells. Yes, it would have been helpful to have had the notations in other languages in order to understand the full impact and events of the Gestapo and nazis in Cologne during this period, and I am sure this will happen in time as with many of the other memorials of this era.

This museum was not for the weak at heart, and some German is needed to understand. However, reading the letters in the basement that was used as a jail was just shocking, these people wrote these letters to their families on the walls using whatever they had, sometimes even their fingernails. It is an excellent museum that preserved how the Nazis treated their prisoners.