Guided Tour in German: On the Roof of Himmler's Guesthouse

In 1938, Fritz Julius Traugott fled to the United States to escape antisemitic persecution. He returned to Germany as a U.S. soldier. In Berlin, he is stationed with a unit of so-called “Ritchie Boys” in, of all places, the former SS guesthouse—the site of the then-unknown Wannsee Conference. “Ritchie Boys” are U.S. soldiers who, because of their native German language skills, are trained to interrogate prisoners of war and war criminals.

He sent his wife Lucia photos and letters from the Wannsee Villa almost every day, including some written on paper from the “Führer’s Adjutant’s Office” that he found in the Reich Chancellery. These documents, published here for the first time, along with the photographs Fritz Traugott took on site, form the core of the exhibition.

Judith Alberth, who curated the exhibition together with our director Deborah Hartmann, will introduce it to you: in German, free of charge, no registration required—you’re warmly welcome.

Venue:
House of the Wannsee Conference Memorial and Educational Site
Am Großen Wannsee 56-58
14109 Berlin

Guided tour in the house's garden; the paths in the garden are not wheelchair-accessible.