Explore the real-world places that appear in I Will Bear Witness, Volume 2 by Victor Klemperer. Each location on the map shows what happens there in the novel, the real history of the place, and what's there today. Featured locations include Judenhaus at Zeughausstrasse 1, Klemperer House in Dölzschen, Technical University of Dresden, Saxon State and University Library (Old Building), Schlüter's Factory (Forced Labor at Thiemig) and 7 more.
Zeughausstrasse 1, Altstadt — Klemperer's forced lodging from 1940
After being evicted from their house in Dölzschen, Victor and his wife Eva Klemperer are confined to a crowded Judenhaus. Here they endure Gestapo house searches, petty rules, and the constant fear of denunciation by the neighbors. Victor records the deportations of fellow residents and the creeping dread that his own turn will come, while Eva, his Aryan wife, is his only shield.
Dresden authorities concentrated Jewish residents into designated Judenhäuser from 1939 onward, stripping them of privacy and legal protection. The Klemperers were moved into one such house in 1940 after being forced from their own home. Many residents were later deported to Theresienstadt and Auschwitz.
The original building in this area was lost in the 1945 bombing and the surrounding district was rebuilt in the postwar decades. The exact site is not a marked attraction, and visiting it offers little beyond the surrounding streets.
Caspar-David-Friedrich-Strasse 15, Dölzschen — The couple's beloved home
The small house Victor and Eva built in the suburb of Dölzschen is the emotional anchor of the diaries. Victor mourns its loss after Jews are forced out, and he longs for his garden, his cat Muschel and his library. Even from exile in the Judenhaus he sometimes passes by, remembering a life of dignity before the Nazi laws closed in.
Klemperer built the house in the 1920s on a modest professor's salary. The Nazis confiscated the right to live there, and it was eventually seized for the use of others. After the war the Klemperers were able to reclaim it.
The house remains a private residence and a memorial plaque is not open to visits. Visitors can only view the quiet suburban street from outside, respecting the privacy of the current occupants.
Mommsenstrasse, Südvorstadt — Klemperer's former workplace
Victor taught Romance languages here until he was dismissed in 1935 because of his Jewish descent. In the diaries he reflects bitterly on his stripped professorship, the loss of his library access, and the silence of former colleagues. He still hopes to complete his work on eighteenth-century French literature and his study of the language of the Third Reich, LTI.
The Technical University grew from the 1828 Technische Bildungsanstalt and became a major German technical institution. Under the Nazis it dismissed Jewish and politically unwanted faculty. It was heavily damaged in 1945 and rebuilt after the war.
TU Dresden is now one of Germany's leading universities, with a sprawling campus in the Südvorstadt. Visitors may walk the grounds and see its historic buildings.
Visit: TU Dresden Campus (landmark)
Marienallee, Neustadt — Books forbidden to Jews
Klemperer, banned from public libraries as a Jew, writes of the humiliation of being cut off from books. He relies on the kindness of a few friends and on his wife Eva to obtain material for his scholarship. The ban becomes a symbol of the intellectual isolation the Nazis imposed.
Dresden's major research library is today the SLUB, formed from the Royal Library and later merged with the university library. Jews were excluded from public libraries by Nazi decree during the war years. The institution suffered significant losses in the 1945 bombing.
The SLUB's modern building near the TU campus is open to the public, with the Buchmuseum displaying treasures like the Dresden Maya Codex. Visitors can see exhibitions and study areas.
Visit: SLUB Dresden (Saxon State and University Library) (library)
Dresden Altstadt area — Klemperer's factory work
Victor is conscripted into forced labor at a tea-packing and paper factory, working alongside other Jewish workers under harsh supervisors. He describes the monotony, the cruelty of foremen, the small kindnesses from some non-Jewish workers, and the constant exhaustion. His fellow laborers, including Mr. Berger and Mr. Kreidl, appear in daily vignettes of humiliation and endurance.
From 1941 Jews in Dresden were forced into labor at factories, often in war-related production. The Thiemig & Möbius plant and similar firms exploited conscripted Jewish workers. Many of these workers were later deported.
The original factory premises no longer exist as they did in the war years. The area has been redeveloped for modern commercial and residential use.
Hellerberg, Hellerau — Forced Jewish labor camp
The Hellerberg camp is where many Dresden Jews are sent in 1942 as the net tightens before deportation. Victor hears reports of friends moved there and notes the grim conditions. It stands as one of the stations on the way to the transports east.
The Hellerberg Jewish forced labor camp operated in Dresden from 1942, with Jews drawn from the city and forced to work in nearby industry. Many of its prisoners were deported to Auschwitz. Records and memorials commemorate its victims.
The Hellerau area is known today for its garden city and the Festspielhaus Hellerau arts center. A memorial note recalls the camp history, and visitors can explore the cultural venue nearby.
Visit: Festspielhaus Hellerau (theater)
Hasenberg / Brühl Terrace area — Destroyed in 1938
Klemperer recalls the destruction of Dresden's great synagogue in November 1938 as a turning point in the persecution. The Jewish community, now tiny and impoverished, gathers in meager spaces while friends vanish into transports. The loss of the synagogue haunts his reflections on German culture betrayed.
Gottfried Semper designed Dresden's grand synagogue, completed in 1840. It was burned and demolished after Kristallnacht in 1938, with the Jewish community made to pay for the demolition. A new synagogue was built on the site in 2001.
The New Synagogue Dresden stands near the original location, with a striking cubic design beside the Jewish community center. It is an active place of worship and tours may be arranged.
Visit: New Synagogue Dresden (landmark)
Fiedlerstrasse 3, Johannstadt — Burial place of Dresden's Jews
Klemperer refers to the Jewish cemetery as a place of mourning for those who died in the ghettoized community, including those who took their own lives to avoid deportation. The diaries note funerals attended by a shrinking number of mourners. It symbolizes the dwindling remnants of Dresden Jewry.
The cemetery was established in 1868 and served the Jewish community of Dresden. Its mortuary hall by Adolf Rosenthal and the tombstones survived the war. It remains a protected cultural monument.
The cemetery is preserved and can be visited with permission through the Jewish community. It stands as a quiet memorial to the community's history.
Visit: Jewish Cemetery Dresden (historic site)
Bautzner Strasse 112 — Site of interrogations
Klemperer is summoned to Gestapo offices, where he suffers interrogation and a brutal imprisonment after minor infractions such as blackout violations. The Gestapo man Clemens and others terrorize the Jewish community with threats and beatings. The building looms in the diary as an emblem of arbitrary Nazi power.
The Gestapo in Dresden used a former villa on Bautzner Strasse as a headquarters during the Nazi era. After 1945 the Soviet and then East German secret police used the site. It now serves as a memorial.
The Gedenkstätte Bautzner Straße is a museum documenting political persecution under both the Nazi and communist regimes. It is open to visitors with exhibitions on its history.
Visit: Gedenkstätte Bautzner Straße Dresden (museum)
Neumarkt, Altstadt — Symbol of destroyed Dresden
During the firebombing of 13–14 February 1945, the Frauenkirche collapses as the city burns. Klemperer and Eva witness the devastation of the old town, the roaring firestorm and the deaths of thousands. The bombing, while horrifying, also gives Victor the chance to escape deportation by tearing off his yellow star.
The Baroque Frauenkirche, completed in 1743, was one of Europe's great Protestant churches. It collapsed on 15 February 1945 after the Allied bombing. It was rebuilt and reconsecrated in 2005.
The reconstructed Frauenkirche stands as a symbol of reconciliation and is open to visitors, with a dome that can be climbed. Services and concerts are held regularly.
Visit: Frauenkirche Dresden (landmark)
Brühlsche Terrasse, Altstadt — The Balcony of Europe
After the bombing, Klemperer and Eva flee through the ruined old town, crossing the burning landscape toward the Elbe meadows. They find refuge among the fleeing crowds and begin their journey westward. The terrace and riverbank mark the start of their escape from Dresden.
The Brühl Terrace was built in the 16th century as a fortification and later became a garden promenade. It was damaged in 1945 but restored. Jews were barred from such public promenades under Nazi rules.
The terrace is a popular promenade over the Elbe with views of the river and old town. It is free and open to the public.
Visit: Brühl Terrace (landmark)
Along the Elbe, Neustadt side — Refuge after the bombing
During and after the firebombing, survivors flee to the open Elbe meadows. Klemperer notes the smoke, the corpses, and the stunned crowds. In the confusion he removes his star and joins other refugees, beginning the flight that eventually saves his life.
The Elbe meadows are broad riverside parklands that have long served as open green space in Dresden. In February 1945 they offered refuge from the firestorm. They are now part of the Elbe valley landscape.
The meadows are a favored spot for walking, cycling and picnics, forming part of the river landscape through the city. They are open to everyone.
Visit: Elbe Meadows (park)
More by Victor Klemperer: All Victor Klemperer books
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