Located on the Hochwald plateau, and overlooking the Hunsrück mountain range, the Hinzert concentration camp was named after the nearest village, now called Hinzert-Pölert.

At an altitude of 550m, the plateau was exposed to much humidity, wind, strong precipitation, fog and glacial temperatures in winter.

Prisoners were kept in another area measuring approximately 200m by 200m, bordered by a 3m high barbed wire fence with watchtowers.

Different zones were located around one central roll-call area, the size of which was later reduced as the SS created a neighbouring vegetable patch.

However, it burnt down on August 16, 1939, and was rebuilt in October 1939 as a police detention and re-education camp, or Polizeihaft- und Erziehungslager des Reichsarbeitsdienstes (RAD), for prisoners condemned to light sentences (under 14 days) and for those workers that had demonstrated what the Nazi regime would call antisocial behavior.

[3][5] These workers, many of whom had been brought in by the Bremen Gestapo[6] worked not only on the West Wall, but also on other military infrastructure projects such as air bases in Mannheim and in Mainz.

Following the arrival of Night and Fog prisoners, the political section and "detention and security" camp were closed down.

Starting on December 7, 1941, when the Night and Fog directive was signed, NN prisoners transited through Hinzert on the way to larger concentration camps, such as Natzweiler, Dachau or Buchenwald where they would eventually "disappear".

Some 23 Kommandos were attached to Hinzert including: Farschweiler, Finthen, Fluwig, Gelnhausen, Gusterath, Hermeskeil, Konz, Langendiebach, Mainz, Mariahute (1 and 2), Neubrucke, Hoppstaden, Nahe, Nonnweiler, Pollert, Primstal, Rheinsfeld (1 and 2), Wachtersbach and Waechtersbach.

These Kommandos performed mainly maintenance forced-labour in air bases as well as marsh drainage and forestry work.

[2] Prisoners of the Hinzert concentration camp were kept under very harsh conditions; beatings were delivered on a regular basis and torture and execution sessions took place in public in order to establish a climate of constant terror and fear.

According to trial records, SS guards also tortured prisoners, left them to die of sickness or hunger, or fed them to dogs.

The prisoners were told that they would undergo a medical examination, but were injected with potassium cyanide, a deadly poison, and died shortly thereafter.

In 1946, following the liberation of the camp by the Allies, the remains of many of the aforementioned victims were found and transferred to their respective homelands with full national honors.

The bodies were first laid temporarily at the Place d'Armes, in the center of the city of Luxembourg, where dignitaries paid their respects, and were then buried in the Notre-Dame Cemetery.

Designed by the architect firm Wandel Hoefer Lorch & Hirsch, the steel modern building houses a permanent exhibition of camp artifacts, photos and explanation notes.