I Say the World Should See Them: The Liberation of Ohrdruf and Buchenwald

April 30 – July 31, 2024

The first concentration camp to be liberated by American troops was Ohrdruf, a sub-camp of Buchenwald, on April 4, 1945. Buchenwald itself was liberated a week later on April 11, 1945. Delving into the history of these camps and their liberation, this exhibit highlights items from the collection of Dr. Rowland Wood, a St. Petersburg, Florida native who served in the 168th Medical Battalion of Patton’s Third Army and who bore witness to the liberation of Ohrdruf and Buchenwald.

Rowland Wood in the European Theater of Operations, 1944-45

Permanent Collection of The Florida Holocaust Museum, donated by Terry Wood Lyons and Alvin G. Wood
Human remains outside the barracks of Ohrdruf concentration camp, shortly after liberation, April 1945

Permanent Collection of The Florida Holocaust Museum, donated by Klaus Mueller
Entrance to Buchenwald concentration camp, 1945

Permanent Collection of The Florida Holocaust Museum, donated by Dan Edelman