Wannsee Conference facts for kids
The Wannsee Conference was a very important meeting during World War II. It was held by high-ranking officials from Nazi Germany. The meeting took place on January 20, 1942, in a suburb of Berlin called Wannsee.
The main goal of the conference was to inform government leaders about a terrible plan. This plan was called the "Final Solution to the Jewish question." Reinhard Heydrich, a powerful Nazi official, was in charge of this plan. He wanted all government departments to fully support it.
Heydrich presented a plan to remove all Jewish people from Europe and parts of North Africa. This included countries like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The plan was to send them to areas in eastern Europe that Germany had taken over.
Contents
What Was the "Final Solution"?
The "Final Solution" was the Nazi plan to systematically murder all Jewish people. This was part of a terrible event known as The Holocaust. The Nazis wanted to get rid of all Jews in Europe.
The Horrible Plan
The plan Heydrich talked about was very cruel. Strong Jewish people were to be forced to work on building roads. The Nazis expected them to work until they died from exhaustion. Any survivors would then be killed.
This specific plan was never fully carried out exactly as described. This was because the Soviet army started pushing back the German forces. Instead, most Jewish people in German-controlled Europe were sent to concentration or death camps. Many were also killed where they lived.
Remembering the Past
Today, the house where the Wannsee Conference took place is a memorial. It is also a museum. This was made possible thanks to the hard work of a historian named Joseph Wulf. The memorial helps people remember the terrible events of the Holocaust. It teaches us about the dangers of hatred and intolerance.
Images for kids
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The villa at 56–58 Am Großen Wannsee, where the Wannsee Conference was held, is now a memorial and museum.
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1935 chart shows racial classifications under the Nuremberg Laws: German, Mischlinge, and Jew.
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Letter from Heydrich to Martin Luther, Undersecretary at the Foreign Office, inviting him to the Wannsee Conference (Wannsee Conference House Memorial, Berlin)
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Eichmann's list
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The conference room at the Wannsee Conference House, 2006
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Facsimiles of the minutes of the Wannsee Conference and Eichmann's list, presented under glass at the Wannsee Conference House Memorial
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View of the Großer Wannsee lake from the villa at 56–58 Am Grossen Wannsee, where the conference was held
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See also
In Spanish: Conferencia de Wannsee para niños
