When the camp was in operation, a ten-foothigh barbed wire fence surrounded the camp, topped with lightson each of the fence pillars which were lit up at night so theguards in the towers could spot anyone trying to escape. An 8-foothigh wall, known in German as the Lagermauer, went around theperimeter of the camp a few feet away from the barbed wire fence.There were three guard towers along the east wall, one of whichcan be seen in this picture. The barbed wire fence was chargedwith live electricity and would instantly kill a prisoner whotouched it. Sometimes prisoners would "go to the fence"and commit suicide. According to the book "The Day of theAmericans" by Nerin E. Gun, one of the survivors was killedwhen he touched the fence on liberation day. After that, the electricityto the fence was cut off. In front of the barbed wire fence, thereis a ditch, called the Graben in German, which was kept filledwith water, like a moat. In front of the moat, there is a stripof grass that the prisoners were not allowed to walk on. Clickon either of the links below to go to other web sites and learnmore about the Holocaust, or click inside the picture above tocontinue the Virtual Tour.