Former Sebaldushof Factory

Tucked away in the woods north of Treuenbrietzen lies the Sebaldushof, a site where layers of history still stand beneath the trees. What began in 1805 as a paper mill was transformed during the Nazi era into a secret munitions factory, complete with workshops, barracks, and a prisoner camp.

On April 21, 1945, Soviet troops of the 1st Ukrainian Front liberated the site after a deadly shootout with German guards, only for the Wehrmacht to recapture it two days later, forcing freed laborers back into captivity. That same day, 131 Italian military internees were executed in a nearby forest before the camp was finally liberated again.

Many of the original buildings still remain, their concrete walls and foundations intact among the trees. A walking trail leads visitors through the site, with information panels that share the stories of the forced laborers, prisoners of war, and townsfolk who once worked here under brutal conditions.

Today, the Sebaldushof stands as both a historical landmark and a memorial, a rare place where the past is not just remembered, but physically present amid the quiet of the forest.