What was the Appellplatz?

Answer 1

The Appellplatz was a central area or square used for roll-call. (Appell - roll-call). Sometimes prisoners had to watch whippings and hangings there, too. At many concentration camps, roll-call (twice a day) was deliberately spun out and used to make the prisoners' lives a misery. Often it lasted 2 hours plus and the prisoners had to stand to attention throughout, but the SS guards walked around. On 11 (?) December 1938 at Buchenwald the numbers didn't tally at evening roll-call and the prisoners were recounted twice in freezing weather. At the end of it some of the prisoners were dead!