Located 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Berlin, Ravensbruck was the largest Nazi concentration camp for women.
It was built in marshlands, during the winter of 1938-39, by Sachsenhausen-camp convicts. Planned for 15,000 prisoners, more than 100,000 women from some 20 countries were crowded into its quarters.
The World Youth Day cross, a gift of John Paul II’s, is regarded as the symbol of the young peoples’ event. Since 1984, it has been taken all over the world as a sign of reconciliation.
The cross already has been taken to 26 European countries, in preparation for the Youth Day to be held in Cologne next August.
The cross was taken to the German Bundestag last Monday, the first time it was received in a parliament.
