On January 20, 1942, fifteen high-ranking Nazi Party and German government officials gathered at a villa in the Berlin suburb of Wannsee to discuss and coordinate the implementation of what they called the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question."
Heydrich visiting Prague Castle in 1941 with his deputy Frank. Federal Archives Germany
On 20 January 1942, the villa Marlier situated along the shore of the lake Wannsee (Berlin, Germany) was the venue for a meeting of high-ranking representatives of the Nazi regime – party functionaries and representatives of the ministries, as well as SS and police officials. The meeting was convened by Reinhard Heydrich (photo above, on the left), Head of the Security Police and the Security Service of the SS. As announced in the letter of invitation, the meeting was to discuss the ‘final solution of the Jewish question’ – a phrase that meant the systematic murder of all Jews in Europe.
View of the villa Marlier. On January 20, 1942, the villa was the site of the Wannsee Conference, at which the decision to proceed with the "Final Solution to the Jewish Question" was announced (photo credit : House of the Wannsee Conference).
The Wannsee Conference
The purpose of the conference was to ensure the co-operation of administrative leaders of various government departments in the implementation of the Final Solution to the Jewish question whereby most of the Jews of German-occupied Europe would be deported to occupied Poland and murdered. The only question addressed was ‘how’ to organise the mass murders – in other words, what was the most efficient way to murder millions of people. Reinhard Heydrich asserted his claim to head the organisation and his responsibility for the operation. Heydrich’s leadership role derived from an order issued by Reichsmarschall Hermann Göring instructing him to prepare everything necessary for a ‘total solution of the Jewish question’. Conference participants included representatives from several government ministries, including state secretaries from the Foreign Office, the justice, interior, economy, and representatives from the SS. In the course of the meeting, Heydrich outlined how European Jews would be rounded up and sent to extermination camps where they would be killed.
360° Introduction to the House of the Wannsee conference
This video gives an insight into the rooms of the villa, the new permanent exhibition and introduces to the history of the historical site: what is the significance of the meeting at Wannsee on 20 January 1942 for the murder of European Jews?
Clic on the button of subtitles at the bottom of the video frame to select English, French, Italian, Russian, Hebrew and Dutch subtitles. You can follow the tour with your mouse, on the touch screen with your finger or with the navigation arrows in the video. You can look around in all directions: The virtual tour gives you a 360° all-round view. This requires a large data flow, so please note that you need a stable internet connection.
The participants of the Wannsee Conference
Who were the participants of the Wannsee Conference? This video introduce the participants to us. In doing so, it also answer a question that visitors often ask : Was Adolf Hitler present at the Wannsee Conference on 20 January 1942 ?
The minutes of the meeting of 20 January 1942
Dr Matthias Hass explains important aspects of the minutes of the meeting of 20 January 1942, the so-called Wannsee Conference. Fifteen high-ranking functionaries of the National Socialist state took part in the meeting. The sole topic was the "Final Solution of the Jewish Question", i.e. the systematic mass murder of European Jews.
Clic on "CC" at the bottom of the Vimeo frame to select English, French, Italian, Russian and Dutch subtitles.
Download here the Protocol and documents of the Wannsee Conference.
