Dachau
85221 Dachau, Deutschland
Memorial Site of the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen | History
The memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen is not a place for loud staging, but a historical space of remembrance that offers visitors a clear and simultaneously shocking perspective. Those who come here encounter a site located just a few kilometers from the former concentration camp Dachau, yet it has long not received the attention that corresponds to its historical significance. The site commemorates the murder of over 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war in the years 1941 and 1942, linked to the camp SS of the Dachau concentration camp and a history of violence that extends far beyond the region. Since its redesign in 2014, the site has been developed with an open-air exhibition, the place of names, and a clear circular path as a place for learning and remembrance. For this reason, Hebertshausen today is not simply an outdoor area, but a central part of the culture of remembrance surrounding Dachau. The official presentation focuses not only on numbers and events but also on victim biographies, perpetrator roles, and the question of what the local population could or did know about the crimes. This makes the site significant for historians, school groups, and remembrance work alike. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
History of the SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
The former shooting range in Hebertshausen was used as an execution site by members of the Dachau camp SS during the existence of the Dachau concentration camp. According to official reports, more than 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war were murdered here in the years 1941 and 1942. The historical dimension of the site lies not only in the number of victims but also in the fact that a part of the Nazi extermination apparatus operated here outside the actual camp grounds. The memorial site thus makes visible that the Dachau concentration camp did not consist solely of the known camp complex but was embedded in a much larger topography of violence, exploitation, and killing. The site has been consciously developed by the Dachau concentration camp memorial site as a place of remembrance to make the historical traces legible rather than to suppress them. The materials of the memorial site also emphasize that the redesign should help to give more attention to the victims from the former Soviet Union, as their fate has long been only marginally represented in German memory culture. The site is therefore not only a historical location but a memorial against forgetting and against the reduction of history to abstract numbers. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
The redesign of the memorial site on May 2, 2014, aimed to make the historical structures more visible again. According to official information, the historical traces were uncovered again, and the original sightlines of the area were restored. The surroundings were also cleared of dense vegetation so that the former shooting ranges and the spatial function of the site could become more understandable again. Particularly important is the statement of the memorial site that the place is classified as a cemetery. This classification emphasizes that Hebertshausen should not be understood as a regular open space or recreational destination, but as a burial and remembrance site with special dignity. At the same time, it was made clear that the engagement with Hebertshausen is of great importance for several states of the former Soviet space, as people from different regions were murdered there and the memory of this crime has international dimensions. It is precisely in this connection of historical precision, spatial reconstruction, and moral responsibility that the special value of the site lies. It makes visible that remembrance does not begin only with monumental buildings, but where concrete violence took place and where a conscious form of commemoration is necessary today. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
Open-Air Exhibition and Place of Names
Since May 2014, an open-air exhibition at the memorial site has been informing about the historical background of the crime. The official description emphasizes that the exhibition is trilingual, thus accessible in Russian, German, and English. This means it is aimed not only at local visitors but also at international guests, researchers, and relatives of victims. The biographies of the murdered individuals are the focus of the content. This is an important difference from many classic historical panels that merely string together events and dates. In Hebertshausen, the focus is deliberately on people, that is, on individual life paths, names, origins, functions, and fates. Additionally, the role of the perpetrators and the knowledge of the population about the crimes are addressed. According to official information, the exhibition includes over 100 photos, documents, drawings, and plans. This creates a multifaceted picture of the site that not only documents but also locates. Visitors can see how the shooting range functioned and why it was integrated into the structure of the camp complex. The exhibition is thus not just accompanying material but the central communication tool of the memorial site. It connects spatial orientation, historical information, and ethical classification into a form of quiet learning that is appropriate to the character of the site. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
A central element of the memorial site is the installation Place of Names. It consists of five memorial plaques embedded in the ground, on which the names as well as the birth and death dates of the known victims are recorded in Cyrillic and Latin script. This form is particularly significant because it gives the victims their individuality back and provides them with a visible place in space. Where violence and degradation once prevailed, today a place emerges where names, writing, and memory mark the void of loss. Along the circular path, information panels complement the exhibition and help to locate the historical events on the site. This combination of external landscape and content delivery is particularly effective because it not only informs the visitor but also spatially guides them through the events. Thus, Hebertshausen becomes a place where history does not remain theoretical but becomes concretely experienceable in the terrain, in the sightlines, and in the lists of names. For the culture of remembrance, this is crucial: not only to know that there were victims but to give them back a piece of visibility through documented names, origins, and life data. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
Directions and Parking at the Memorial Site Hebertshausen
For practical planning, it is important to know that the memorial site is located in Hebertshausen near Dachau and not directly in the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. The official event pages list the parking lot of the memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen on Freisinger Strasse as the meeting point for excursions. It is explicitly noted there that a private vehicle or a bicycle is required for arrival. This is relevant information for anyone who wants to visit the site individually or participate in a guided tour, as it shows that the connection is organized differently than at central urban locations with dense public transport frequency. Anyone planning a visit should therefore check in advance whether the date is being conducted as an excursion, tour, or memorial event and what meeting point is indicated. The official address of the entire complex of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site is Alte Römerstrasse 75 in 85221 Dachau; however, the memorial site Hebertshausen is listed separately in the event information with the parking lot on Freisinger Strasse. This detail is crucial for route planning. Visitors should therefore pay attention not only to the name of the location but also to the specific meeting point indicated in the respective program. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/exkursion-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-und-kz-friedhof-leitenberg/))
Since it is an outdoor location, good preparation is particularly advisable. This concerns not only the arrival but also the timing. Guided tours and excursions usually last about one and a half to two and a half hours in the official examples, and depending on the format, registration, participant limits, or a small fee may be required. Anyone who wants to combine the memorial site with the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site can also consider the opening hours of the main area: The Dachau concentration camp memorial site is open daily except on December 24 from 9 AM to 5 PM, and admission is free. However, for the visit to Hebertshausen itself, the information of the respective event is always decisive. Practically, this means: First read the specific date page, then plan the arrival, and finally allocate enough time for the tour. Those who come by bicycle also experience the spatial connection between Dachau and Hebertshausen more consciously, as the path itself can already become part of the space of remembrance. For groups, school classes, and individual visitors, this clear planning is helpful because the memorial site should not be understood as a spontaneous stopover but as a consciously sought place of remembrance. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/))
Guided Tours, Excursions, and Current Program
The memorial site Hebertshausen is regularly part of the event and educational program of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. The official homepage lists an excursion to the memorial site for June 20, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Archived event pages also show that the site is treated in different formats, such as thematic tours or excursions in combination with other places of remembrance. The content of these offers goes beyond mere site visits. The descriptions explicitly mention the historical events, the history of the memorial site after 1945, and the discussion about a dignified redesign of the memorial site. This shows that the program addresses not only the Nazi crimes themselves but also the post-history and the form of remembrance. For visitors, this is particularly valuable because they can understand the site not in isolation but in its temporal development. Some formats are offered in cooperation with educational partners such as the Munich Adult Education Center or the Eching Adult Education Center, which underscores the integration into the regional educational landscape. Thus, Hebertshausen is perceived not only as a historical site but also as a place of learning with a public mandate. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/))
The official event pages also make it clear that the formats may vary depending on the occasion. There are offers with registration, different participant limits, and sometimes small participation fees, for example, 4 euros or 2 euros reduced in one of the current tour formats. Another example shows that certain tours are not suitable for persons under 13 years of age. For practice, this means: The program should always be checked directly on the respective page, as times, meeting points, costs, and target groups may differ. Especially at a place of remembrance like Hebertshausen, this timeliness is important because the memorial site consciously relies on professionally supervised communication. Those who want to not only see the site but also understand it benefit significantly from these guided formats. They provide not only facts but also place the history in larger contexts: the system of the camp SS, the murder of Soviet prisoners of war, the development of the memorial site, and the current task of keeping names and biographies visible. Therefore, the topic of guided tours is particularly relevant for SEO and visitor information because it establishes exactly the connection between historical content and practical use. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/gedenkort-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-4/))
Murder of Soviet Prisoners of War and Historical Responsibility
The main historical statement of the site is clear: Soviet prisoners of war were murdered at the SS shooting range Hebertshausen. The official texts speak of over 4,000 victims, while an older memorial note even mentions about 4,500. Regardless of the exact counting method, the dimension of the crime remains shocking. This is a site where not only individual killings took place but a systematic execution of people who were marked as enemies according to Nazi ideology. The current memorial site consciously makes it clear that behind this number stand concrete life stories: officers, political functionaries, intellectuals, Jews, and other Soviet prisoners of war, whose names and origins are documented as far as possible. The focus on biographies is particularly important because it counters the dehumanization of the perpetrators with a form of remembrance that emphasizes individuality and dignity. The site is thus a strong example of how historical processing can relate not only to the act itself but also to its victims. The commemoration of Hebertshausen is therefore always also a reminder of the destroyed life possibilities, of families, languages, and regions of origin that were connected and simultaneously torn apart by the crime. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
The official redesign also emphasizes that the memory of this site is of particular importance for several states of the former Soviet space. Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are mentioned in this context. This perspective makes it clear that Hebertshausen is not only a local place of remembrance in Upper Bavaria but a site with international resonance. The memorial site therefore works with multilingual communication and with a design that focuses on the victims rather than aestheticizing the crime. For today's visitors, this also means a responsibility in dealing with the site. Hebertshausen demands silence, respect, and the willingness to engage with complex history. Precisely because the site appears outwardly quiet, it unfolds its effect through the combination of landscape, panel texts, names, and spatial traces. Those who visit it should not understand it as a complement to a classic excursion program but as an independent space of remembrance. The official memory policy pursues a clear goal here: to make historical violence visible, to give victims their names back, and to not limit the context of Nazi crimes to the interior of the camp but also to keep the execution sites outside the main camp visible. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
Hebertshausen in the Dachau Memorial Network
Hebertshausen is part of a larger historical topography around Dachau. The Dachau concentration camp memorial site itself points out that the overall commemoration also includes the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen, the KZ Ehrenfriedhof Leitenberg, and the forest cemetery. This embedding is important because it shows that the history of the concentration camp does not end at the fence of the former prisoner camp. The space of remembrance includes places of detention, places of killing, places of burial, and places of post-history. The website of the memorial site also describes the approximately three-kilometer path of remembrance, which has been commemorating the path of the prisoners from Dachau station to the concentration camp since 2007. Although this path addresses a different theme, it makes the same point as Hebertshausen: remembrance needs concrete places in the urban space and in the landscape. Those who think about the various stations together understand the historical dimension of Dachau much more accurately. The memorial site Hebertshausen is therefore not isolated but part of a network of places of remembrance that connects the history of the camp, the region, and the post-war period. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
Particularly striking is the connection with Leitenberg. There, according to official reports, lie the graves of about 7,400 dead from the Dachau concentration camp, who were buried there in the last months of the war and shortly after liberation; after an international scandal over the neglect of the graves, a KZ Ehrenfriedhof was created in 1949. This context shows that the region around Dachau hosts several very different forms of commemoration: execution site, cemetery, path of remembrance, and main memorial site. Those who visit Hebertshausen can better understand how the history of the concentration camp is inscribed in the entire surrounding area. If the visit is combined with the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site, the general opening hours there are also helpful: daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, admission free. This creates a meaningful visiting framework for all those who want to engage more intensively with the history of the region. In the end, the impression remains of a place that does not rely on spectacle but on clarity, dignity, and historical accuracy. This is precisely the strength of the memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen: it makes visible what easily remains invisible and connects local landscape with European memory history. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/exkursion-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-und-kz-friedhof-leitenberg/))
Sources:
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Topography and Memorial Site Hebertshausen
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Thematic Tour Memorial Site of the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Excursion Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen and KZ Cemetery Leitenberg
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Homepage
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Memorial Service at the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
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Memorial Site of the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen | History
The memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen is not a place for loud staging, but a historical space of remembrance that offers visitors a clear and simultaneously shocking perspective. Those who come here encounter a site located just a few kilometers from the former concentration camp Dachau, yet it has long not received the attention that corresponds to its historical significance. The site commemorates the murder of over 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war in the years 1941 and 1942, linked to the camp SS of the Dachau concentration camp and a history of violence that extends far beyond the region. Since its redesign in 2014, the site has been developed with an open-air exhibition, the place of names, and a clear circular path as a place for learning and remembrance. For this reason, Hebertshausen today is not simply an outdoor area, but a central part of the culture of remembrance surrounding Dachau. The official presentation focuses not only on numbers and events but also on victim biographies, perpetrator roles, and the question of what the local population could or did know about the crimes. This makes the site significant for historians, school groups, and remembrance work alike. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
History of the SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
The former shooting range in Hebertshausen was used as an execution site by members of the Dachau camp SS during the existence of the Dachau concentration camp. According to official reports, more than 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war were murdered here in the years 1941 and 1942. The historical dimension of the site lies not only in the number of victims but also in the fact that a part of the Nazi extermination apparatus operated here outside the actual camp grounds. The memorial site thus makes visible that the Dachau concentration camp did not consist solely of the known camp complex but was embedded in a much larger topography of violence, exploitation, and killing. The site has been consciously developed by the Dachau concentration camp memorial site as a place of remembrance to make the historical traces legible rather than to suppress them. The materials of the memorial site also emphasize that the redesign should help to give more attention to the victims from the former Soviet Union, as their fate has long been only marginally represented in German memory culture. The site is therefore not only a historical location but a memorial against forgetting and against the reduction of history to abstract numbers. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
The redesign of the memorial site on May 2, 2014, aimed to make the historical structures more visible again. According to official information, the historical traces were uncovered again, and the original sightlines of the area were restored. The surroundings were also cleared of dense vegetation so that the former shooting ranges and the spatial function of the site could become more understandable again. Particularly important is the statement of the memorial site that the place is classified as a cemetery. This classification emphasizes that Hebertshausen should not be understood as a regular open space or recreational destination, but as a burial and remembrance site with special dignity. At the same time, it was made clear that the engagement with Hebertshausen is of great importance for several states of the former Soviet space, as people from different regions were murdered there and the memory of this crime has international dimensions. It is precisely in this connection of historical precision, spatial reconstruction, and moral responsibility that the special value of the site lies. It makes visible that remembrance does not begin only with monumental buildings, but where concrete violence took place and where a conscious form of commemoration is necessary today. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
Open-Air Exhibition and Place of Names
Since May 2014, an open-air exhibition at the memorial site has been informing about the historical background of the crime. The official description emphasizes that the exhibition is trilingual, thus accessible in Russian, German, and English. This means it is aimed not only at local visitors but also at international guests, researchers, and relatives of victims. The biographies of the murdered individuals are the focus of the content. This is an important difference from many classic historical panels that merely string together events and dates. In Hebertshausen, the focus is deliberately on people, that is, on individual life paths, names, origins, functions, and fates. Additionally, the role of the perpetrators and the knowledge of the population about the crimes are addressed. According to official information, the exhibition includes over 100 photos, documents, drawings, and plans. This creates a multifaceted picture of the site that not only documents but also locates. Visitors can see how the shooting range functioned and why it was integrated into the structure of the camp complex. The exhibition is thus not just accompanying material but the central communication tool of the memorial site. It connects spatial orientation, historical information, and ethical classification into a form of quiet learning that is appropriate to the character of the site. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
A central element of the memorial site is the installation Place of Names. It consists of five memorial plaques embedded in the ground, on which the names as well as the birth and death dates of the known victims are recorded in Cyrillic and Latin script. This form is particularly significant because it gives the victims their individuality back and provides them with a visible place in space. Where violence and degradation once prevailed, today a place emerges where names, writing, and memory mark the void of loss. Along the circular path, information panels complement the exhibition and help to locate the historical events on the site. This combination of external landscape and content delivery is particularly effective because it not only informs the visitor but also spatially guides them through the events. Thus, Hebertshausen becomes a place where history does not remain theoretical but becomes concretely experienceable in the terrain, in the sightlines, and in the lists of names. For the culture of remembrance, this is crucial: not only to know that there were victims but to give them back a piece of visibility through documented names, origins, and life data. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
Directions and Parking at the Memorial Site Hebertshausen
For practical planning, it is important to know that the memorial site is located in Hebertshausen near Dachau and not directly in the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. The official event pages list the parking lot of the memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen on Freisinger Strasse as the meeting point for excursions. It is explicitly noted there that a private vehicle or a bicycle is required for arrival. This is relevant information for anyone who wants to visit the site individually or participate in a guided tour, as it shows that the connection is organized differently than at central urban locations with dense public transport frequency. Anyone planning a visit should therefore check in advance whether the date is being conducted as an excursion, tour, or memorial event and what meeting point is indicated. The official address of the entire complex of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site is Alte Römerstrasse 75 in 85221 Dachau; however, the memorial site Hebertshausen is listed separately in the event information with the parking lot on Freisinger Strasse. This detail is crucial for route planning. Visitors should therefore pay attention not only to the name of the location but also to the specific meeting point indicated in the respective program. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/exkursion-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-und-kz-friedhof-leitenberg/))
Since it is an outdoor location, good preparation is particularly advisable. This concerns not only the arrival but also the timing. Guided tours and excursions usually last about one and a half to two and a half hours in the official examples, and depending on the format, registration, participant limits, or a small fee may be required. Anyone who wants to combine the memorial site with the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site can also consider the opening hours of the main area: The Dachau concentration camp memorial site is open daily except on December 24 from 9 AM to 5 PM, and admission is free. However, for the visit to Hebertshausen itself, the information of the respective event is always decisive. Practically, this means: First read the specific date page, then plan the arrival, and finally allocate enough time for the tour. Those who come by bicycle also experience the spatial connection between Dachau and Hebertshausen more consciously, as the path itself can already become part of the space of remembrance. For groups, school classes, and individual visitors, this clear planning is helpful because the memorial site should not be understood as a spontaneous stopover but as a consciously sought place of remembrance. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/))
Guided Tours, Excursions, and Current Program
The memorial site Hebertshausen is regularly part of the event and educational program of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. The official homepage lists an excursion to the memorial site for June 20, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Archived event pages also show that the site is treated in different formats, such as thematic tours or excursions in combination with other places of remembrance. The content of these offers goes beyond mere site visits. The descriptions explicitly mention the historical events, the history of the memorial site after 1945, and the discussion about a dignified redesign of the memorial site. This shows that the program addresses not only the Nazi crimes themselves but also the post-history and the form of remembrance. For visitors, this is particularly valuable because they can understand the site not in isolation but in its temporal development. Some formats are offered in cooperation with educational partners such as the Munich Adult Education Center or the Eching Adult Education Center, which underscores the integration into the regional educational landscape. Thus, Hebertshausen is perceived not only as a historical site but also as a place of learning with a public mandate. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/))
The official event pages also make it clear that the formats may vary depending on the occasion. There are offers with registration, different participant limits, and sometimes small participation fees, for example, 4 euros or 2 euros reduced in one of the current tour formats. Another example shows that certain tours are not suitable for persons under 13 years of age. For practice, this means: The program should always be checked directly on the respective page, as times, meeting points, costs, and target groups may differ. Especially at a place of remembrance like Hebertshausen, this timeliness is important because the memorial site consciously relies on professionally supervised communication. Those who want to not only see the site but also understand it benefit significantly from these guided formats. They provide not only facts but also place the history in larger contexts: the system of the camp SS, the murder of Soviet prisoners of war, the development of the memorial site, and the current task of keeping names and biographies visible. Therefore, the topic of guided tours is particularly relevant for SEO and visitor information because it establishes exactly the connection between historical content and practical use. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/gedenkort-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-4/))
Murder of Soviet Prisoners of War and Historical Responsibility
The main historical statement of the site is clear: Soviet prisoners of war were murdered at the SS shooting range Hebertshausen. The official texts speak of over 4,000 victims, while an older memorial note even mentions about 4,500. Regardless of the exact counting method, the dimension of the crime remains shocking. This is a site where not only individual killings took place but a systematic execution of people who were marked as enemies according to Nazi ideology. The current memorial site consciously makes it clear that behind this number stand concrete life stories: officers, political functionaries, intellectuals, Jews, and other Soviet prisoners of war, whose names and origins are documented as far as possible. The focus on biographies is particularly important because it counters the dehumanization of the perpetrators with a form of remembrance that emphasizes individuality and dignity. The site is thus a strong example of how historical processing can relate not only to the act itself but also to its victims. The commemoration of Hebertshausen is therefore always also a reminder of the destroyed life possibilities, of families, languages, and regions of origin that were connected and simultaneously torn apart by the crime. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
The official redesign also emphasizes that the memory of this site is of particular importance for several states of the former Soviet space. Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are mentioned in this context. This perspective makes it clear that Hebertshausen is not only a local place of remembrance in Upper Bavaria but a site with international resonance. The memorial site therefore works with multilingual communication and with a design that focuses on the victims rather than aestheticizing the crime. For today's visitors, this also means a responsibility in dealing with the site. Hebertshausen demands silence, respect, and the willingness to engage with complex history. Precisely because the site appears outwardly quiet, it unfolds its effect through the combination of landscape, panel texts, names, and spatial traces. Those who visit it should not understand it as a complement to a classic excursion program but as an independent space of remembrance. The official memory policy pursues a clear goal here: to make historical violence visible, to give victims their names back, and to not limit the context of Nazi crimes to the interior of the camp but also to keep the execution sites outside the main camp visible. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
Hebertshausen in the Dachau Memorial Network
Hebertshausen is part of a larger historical topography around Dachau. The Dachau concentration camp memorial site itself points out that the overall commemoration also includes the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen, the KZ Ehrenfriedhof Leitenberg, and the forest cemetery. This embedding is important because it shows that the history of the concentration camp does not end at the fence of the former prisoner camp. The space of remembrance includes places of detention, places of killing, places of burial, and places of post-history. The website of the memorial site also describes the approximately three-kilometer path of remembrance, which has been commemorating the path of the prisoners from Dachau station to the concentration camp since 2007. Although this path addresses a different theme, it makes the same point as Hebertshausen: remembrance needs concrete places in the urban space and in the landscape. Those who think about the various stations together understand the historical dimension of Dachau much more accurately. The memorial site Hebertshausen is therefore not isolated but part of a network of places of remembrance that connects the history of the camp, the region, and the post-war period. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
Particularly striking is the connection with Leitenberg. There, according to official reports, lie the graves of about 7,400 dead from the Dachau concentration camp, who were buried there in the last months of the war and shortly after liberation; after an international scandal over the neglect of the graves, a KZ Ehrenfriedhof was created in 1949. This context shows that the region around Dachau hosts several very different forms of commemoration: execution site, cemetery, path of remembrance, and main memorial site. Those who visit Hebertshausen can better understand how the history of the concentration camp is inscribed in the entire surrounding area. If the visit is combined with the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site, the general opening hours there are also helpful: daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, admission free. This creates a meaningful visiting framework for all those who want to engage more intensively with the history of the region. In the end, the impression remains of a place that does not rely on spectacle but on clarity, dignity, and historical accuracy. This is precisely the strength of the memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen: it makes visible what easily remains invisible and connects local landscape with European memory history. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/exkursion-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-und-kz-friedhof-leitenberg/))
Sources:
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Topography and Memorial Site Hebertshausen
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Thematic Tour Memorial Site of the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Excursion Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen and KZ Cemetery Leitenberg
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Homepage
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Memorial Service at the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
Memorial Site of the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen | History
The memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen is not a place for loud staging, but a historical space of remembrance that offers visitors a clear and simultaneously shocking perspective. Those who come here encounter a site located just a few kilometers from the former concentration camp Dachau, yet it has long not received the attention that corresponds to its historical significance. The site commemorates the murder of over 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war in the years 1941 and 1942, linked to the camp SS of the Dachau concentration camp and a history of violence that extends far beyond the region. Since its redesign in 2014, the site has been developed with an open-air exhibition, the place of names, and a clear circular path as a place for learning and remembrance. For this reason, Hebertshausen today is not simply an outdoor area, but a central part of the culture of remembrance surrounding Dachau. The official presentation focuses not only on numbers and events but also on victim biographies, perpetrator roles, and the question of what the local population could or did know about the crimes. This makes the site significant for historians, school groups, and remembrance work alike. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
History of the SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
The former shooting range in Hebertshausen was used as an execution site by members of the Dachau camp SS during the existence of the Dachau concentration camp. According to official reports, more than 4,000 Soviet prisoners of war were murdered here in the years 1941 and 1942. The historical dimension of the site lies not only in the number of victims but also in the fact that a part of the Nazi extermination apparatus operated here outside the actual camp grounds. The memorial site thus makes visible that the Dachau concentration camp did not consist solely of the known camp complex but was embedded in a much larger topography of violence, exploitation, and killing. The site has been consciously developed by the Dachau concentration camp memorial site as a place of remembrance to make the historical traces legible rather than to suppress them. The materials of the memorial site also emphasize that the redesign should help to give more attention to the victims from the former Soviet Union, as their fate has long been only marginally represented in German memory culture. The site is therefore not only a historical location but a memorial against forgetting and against the reduction of history to abstract numbers. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
The redesign of the memorial site on May 2, 2014, aimed to make the historical structures more visible again. According to official information, the historical traces were uncovered again, and the original sightlines of the area were restored. The surroundings were also cleared of dense vegetation so that the former shooting ranges and the spatial function of the site could become more understandable again. Particularly important is the statement of the memorial site that the place is classified as a cemetery. This classification emphasizes that Hebertshausen should not be understood as a regular open space or recreational destination, but as a burial and remembrance site with special dignity. At the same time, it was made clear that the engagement with Hebertshausen is of great importance for several states of the former Soviet space, as people from different regions were murdered there and the memory of this crime has international dimensions. It is precisely in this connection of historical precision, spatial reconstruction, and moral responsibility that the special value of the site lies. It makes visible that remembrance does not begin only with monumental buildings, but where concrete violence took place and where a conscious form of commemoration is necessary today. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
Open-Air Exhibition and Place of Names
Since May 2014, an open-air exhibition at the memorial site has been informing about the historical background of the crime. The official description emphasizes that the exhibition is trilingual, thus accessible in Russian, German, and English. This means it is aimed not only at local visitors but also at international guests, researchers, and relatives of victims. The biographies of the murdered individuals are the focus of the content. This is an important difference from many classic historical panels that merely string together events and dates. In Hebertshausen, the focus is deliberately on people, that is, on individual life paths, names, origins, functions, and fates. Additionally, the role of the perpetrators and the knowledge of the population about the crimes are addressed. According to official information, the exhibition includes over 100 photos, documents, drawings, and plans. This creates a multifaceted picture of the site that not only documents but also locates. Visitors can see how the shooting range functioned and why it was integrated into the structure of the camp complex. The exhibition is thus not just accompanying material but the central communication tool of the memorial site. It connects spatial orientation, historical information, and ethical classification into a form of quiet learning that is appropriate to the character of the site. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
A central element of the memorial site is the installation Place of Names. It consists of five memorial plaques embedded in the ground, on which the names as well as the birth and death dates of the known victims are recorded in Cyrillic and Latin script. This form is particularly significant because it gives the victims their individuality back and provides them with a visible place in space. Where violence and degradation once prevailed, today a place emerges where names, writing, and memory mark the void of loss. Along the circular path, information panels complement the exhibition and help to locate the historical events on the site. This combination of external landscape and content delivery is particularly effective because it not only informs the visitor but also spatially guides them through the events. Thus, Hebertshausen becomes a place where history does not remain theoretical but becomes concretely experienceable in the terrain, in the sightlines, and in the lists of names. For the culture of remembrance, this is crucial: not only to know that there were victims but to give them back a piece of visibility through documented names, origins, and life data. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
Directions and Parking at the Memorial Site Hebertshausen
For practical planning, it is important to know that the memorial site is located in Hebertshausen near Dachau and not directly in the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. The official event pages list the parking lot of the memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen on Freisinger Strasse as the meeting point for excursions. It is explicitly noted there that a private vehicle or a bicycle is required for arrival. This is relevant information for anyone who wants to visit the site individually or participate in a guided tour, as it shows that the connection is organized differently than at central urban locations with dense public transport frequency. Anyone planning a visit should therefore check in advance whether the date is being conducted as an excursion, tour, or memorial event and what meeting point is indicated. The official address of the entire complex of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site is Alte Römerstrasse 75 in 85221 Dachau; however, the memorial site Hebertshausen is listed separately in the event information with the parking lot on Freisinger Strasse. This detail is crucial for route planning. Visitors should therefore pay attention not only to the name of the location but also to the specific meeting point indicated in the respective program. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/exkursion-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-und-kz-friedhof-leitenberg/))
Since it is an outdoor location, good preparation is particularly advisable. This concerns not only the arrival but also the timing. Guided tours and excursions usually last about one and a half to two and a half hours in the official examples, and depending on the format, registration, participant limits, or a small fee may be required. Anyone who wants to combine the memorial site with the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site can also consider the opening hours of the main area: The Dachau concentration camp memorial site is open daily except on December 24 from 9 AM to 5 PM, and admission is free. However, for the visit to Hebertshausen itself, the information of the respective event is always decisive. Practically, this means: First read the specific date page, then plan the arrival, and finally allocate enough time for the tour. Those who come by bicycle also experience the spatial connection between Dachau and Hebertshausen more consciously, as the path itself can already become part of the space of remembrance. For groups, school classes, and individual visitors, this clear planning is helpful because the memorial site should not be understood as a spontaneous stopover but as a consciously sought place of remembrance. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/))
Guided Tours, Excursions, and Current Program
The memorial site Hebertshausen is regularly part of the event and educational program of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site. The official homepage lists an excursion to the memorial site for June 20, 2026, from 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM. Archived event pages also show that the site is treated in different formats, such as thematic tours or excursions in combination with other places of remembrance. The content of these offers goes beyond mere site visits. The descriptions explicitly mention the historical events, the history of the memorial site after 1945, and the discussion about a dignified redesign of the memorial site. This shows that the program addresses not only the Nazi crimes themselves but also the post-history and the form of remembrance. For visitors, this is particularly valuable because they can understand the site not in isolation but in its temporal development. Some formats are offered in cooperation with educational partners such as the Munich Adult Education Center or the Eching Adult Education Center, which underscores the integration into the regional educational landscape. Thus, Hebertshausen is perceived not only as a historical site but also as a place of learning with a public mandate. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/))
The official event pages also make it clear that the formats may vary depending on the occasion. There are offers with registration, different participant limits, and sometimes small participation fees, for example, 4 euros or 2 euros reduced in one of the current tour formats. Another example shows that certain tours are not suitable for persons under 13 years of age. For practice, this means: The program should always be checked directly on the respective page, as times, meeting points, costs, and target groups may differ. Especially at a place of remembrance like Hebertshausen, this timeliness is important because the memorial site consciously relies on professionally supervised communication. Those who want to not only see the site but also understand it benefit significantly from these guided formats. They provide not only facts but also place the history in larger contexts: the system of the camp SS, the murder of Soviet prisoners of war, the development of the memorial site, and the current task of keeping names and biographies visible. Therefore, the topic of guided tours is particularly relevant for SEO and visitor information because it establishes exactly the connection between historical content and practical use. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/gedenkort-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-4/))
Murder of Soviet Prisoners of War and Historical Responsibility
The main historical statement of the site is clear: Soviet prisoners of war were murdered at the SS shooting range Hebertshausen. The official texts speak of over 4,000 victims, while an older memorial note even mentions about 4,500. Regardless of the exact counting method, the dimension of the crime remains shocking. This is a site where not only individual killings took place but a systematic execution of people who were marked as enemies according to Nazi ideology. The current memorial site consciously makes it clear that behind this number stand concrete life stories: officers, political functionaries, intellectuals, Jews, and other Soviet prisoners of war, whose names and origins are documented as far as possible. The focus on biographies is particularly important because it counters the dehumanization of the perpetrators with a form of remembrance that emphasizes individuality and dignity. The site is thus a strong example of how historical processing can relate not only to the act itself but also to its victims. The commemoration of Hebertshausen is therefore always also a reminder of the destroyed life possibilities, of families, languages, and regions of origin that were connected and simultaneously torn apart by the crime. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
The official redesign also emphasizes that the memory of this site is of particular importance for several states of the former Soviet space. Russia, Belarus, and Ukraine are mentioned in this context. This perspective makes it clear that Hebertshausen is not only a local place of remembrance in Upper Bavaria but a site with international resonance. The memorial site therefore works with multilingual communication and with a design that focuses on the victims rather than aestheticizing the crime. For today's visitors, this also means a responsibility in dealing with the site. Hebertshausen demands silence, respect, and the willingness to engage with complex history. Precisely because the site appears outwardly quiet, it unfolds its effect through the combination of landscape, panel texts, names, and spatial traces. Those who visit it should not understand it as a complement to a classic excursion program but as an independent space of remembrance. The official memory policy pursues a clear goal here: to make historical violence visible, to give victims their names back, and to not limit the context of Nazi crimes to the interior of the camp but also to keep the execution sites outside the main camp visible. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/en/news/redeveloping-the-commemorative-site-at-the-former-ss-shooting-range-hebertshausen/))
Hebertshausen in the Dachau Memorial Network
Hebertshausen is part of a larger historical topography around Dachau. The Dachau concentration camp memorial site itself points out that the overall commemoration also includes the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen, the KZ Ehrenfriedhof Leitenberg, and the forest cemetery. This embedding is important because it shows that the history of the concentration camp does not end at the fence of the former prisoner camp. The space of remembrance includes places of detention, places of killing, places of burial, and places of post-history. The website of the memorial site also describes the approximately three-kilometer path of remembrance, which has been commemorating the path of the prisoners from Dachau station to the concentration camp since 2007. Although this path addresses a different theme, it makes the same point as Hebertshausen: remembrance needs concrete places in the urban space and in the landscape. Those who think about the various stations together understand the historical dimension of Dachau much more accurately. The memorial site Hebertshausen is therefore not isolated but part of a network of places of remembrance that connects the history of the camp, the region, and the post-war period. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/topogr/))
Particularly striking is the connection with Leitenberg. There, according to official reports, lie the graves of about 7,400 dead from the Dachau concentration camp, who were buried there in the last months of the war and shortly after liberation; after an international scandal over the neglect of the graves, a KZ Ehrenfriedhof was created in 1949. This context shows that the region around Dachau hosts several very different forms of commemoration: execution site, cemetery, path of remembrance, and main memorial site. Those who visit Hebertshausen can better understand how the history of the concentration camp is inscribed in the entire surrounding area. If the visit is combined with the main area of the Dachau concentration camp memorial site, the general opening hours there are also helpful: daily from 9 AM to 5 PM, admission free. This creates a meaningful visiting framework for all those who want to engage more intensively with the history of the region. In the end, the impression remains of a place that does not rely on spectacle but on clarity, dignity, and historical accuracy. This is precisely the strength of the memorial site of the former SS shooting range Hebertshausen: it makes visible what easily remains invisible and connects local landscape with European memory history. ([kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de](https://www.kz-gedenkstaette-dachau.de/veranstaltungen/exkursion-ehemaliger-ss-schiessplatz-hebertshausen-und-kz-friedhof-leitenberg/))
Sources:
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Topography and Memorial Site Hebertshausen
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Thematic Tour Memorial Site of the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Excursion Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen and KZ Cemetery Leitenberg
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Homepage
- Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site - Memorial Service at the Former SS Shooting Range Hebertshausen
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