Title: Die Ermittlung
Subtitle: Oratorium in elf Gesängen
First published: 1965
Description: The Investigation is Weiss' ruthless documentary drama of the Frankfurt Auschwitz trials, which he attended. These proceedings, held in 1963-5, are not to be confused with the Nürnberg trials held right after the war. In Frankfurt it was the German government itself that held the war-crimes trial, focussing on the crimes perpetrated at Auschwitz.

Using the actual testimony of survivors from Auschwitz, testifying as witnesses against those who exploited them and others, Weiss creates a riveting drama. The drama is based on the trial, but Weiss insists that it should not be staged as a courtroom-docudrama.
Subjects: Auschwitz (Concentration camp), Auschwitz Trial, Frankfurt am Main, Germany, 1963-1965, Drama, Holocaust, Jewish (1939-1945), German drama, Fiction, Die Ermittlung (Weiss), Oratorios, Librettos
Places: Germany
People: Peter Weiss (1916-1982)
Time periods: 1963-1965