Cap Arcona Cemetery, Haffkrug

The new documentary "Cap Arcona—Haffkrug Cemetery: International Memorial and Commemoration Site" by Peter Wendt will be presented on Friday, August 14, 2026, at 6:00 p.m. at the Haffhus in Haffkrug.
More information about the event

The publisher’s announcement states:
On May 3, 1945, the British Royal Air Force sank the German passenger ship “Cap Arcona” and the freighter “Thielbek” in the Bay of Lübeck. This was a fatal mistake, as the ships were not carrying German troops and SS members fleeing to Norway, but primarily prisoners from the Neuengamme concentration camp. More than 7,000 people lost their lives.

The Cap Arcona Cemetery in Haffkrug is a memorial site for the victims of the disaster and for others persecuted by the Nazi regime: prisoners from the Kiel-Hassee labor education camp, forced laborers, displaced persons, and the deceased who were reinterred from Lüneburg, Hamburg, Kaltenkirchen, and other locations. The cemetery was established as the central burial site for mass graves around Neustadt Bay. Through reburials from other regions, it gained national significance. But then, for over 40 years, it became a cemetery for the “nameless dead.” Its historical significance was not properly addressed.

The fact that over 390 victims are known by name went unnoticed. Now, for the first time, a documentary is available that presents the history of the Cap Arcona Cemetery in a clear and detailed manner.

Peter Wendt
Cap Arcona Cemetery Haffkrug
International Memorial and Commemoration
Site A Documentary
ISBN: 978-3-86331-858-1 | approx. 224 pages; 60 illustrations | 24.00 euros | E-book PDF: 19.00 euros

Orders can be placed directly with
Metropol Verlag
, Ansbacher Straße 70
, 10777 Berlin
; Phone: (030) 23 00 46 23
; https://metropol-verlag.de/;
veitl@metropol-verlag.de