Neuengamme concentration camp was established in the Bergedorf district of Hamburg, Germany, primarily to imprison individuals considered politically unreliable, including communists, socialists, and other opposition figures. The camp utilized the facilities of a former brickyard, transforming it into a place of confinement and forced labor. This development was part of a larger strategy by the Nazi leadership to consolidate power following their ascent in 1933 and further marginalized communities and groups. As various laws curbed citizens' rights and freedoms, particularly those of the Jewish population, the establishment of such camps became a cornerstone of the Nazi regime’s terror tactics.

Shortly after opening, Neuengamme began taking in its first inmates, whose labor was exploited for both construction and war-related industries. The camp’s location in Hamburg made it a strategic site to supply forced labor to the growing economy in Nazi Germany. Over time, more than 100,000 individuals were incarcerated there, with thousands subjected to inhumane treatment leading to high mortality rates. The camp was not initially intended for extermination, but the mortality rates would rise due to forced labor, malnutrition, disease, and ill-treatment.

As the Nazi regime escalated its repressive measures, Neuengamme expanded, eventually operating numerous satellite camps that spread throughout Northern Germany. These camps served to accommodate more inmates and provided labor for various industries, including munitions factories. The harsh conditions endured by prisoners at Neuengamme exemplified the operational philosophy of the Nazi concentration camp system: to reduce individuals to mere labor units until they could no longer work. The camp continued its operations until the end of the war, when Allied forces liberated it in 1945, revealing the extent of human rights abuses that occurred there.