What is a concentration camp?

Concentration camps, Abk. KZ, were camps for holding of civilians during a war. They were introduced by the Spaniards during the revolution of 1895 on Cuba and of England 1901 in the Burenkrieg. Later they were usually called internment camps. In totalitarian states 20. Century were they a means for the suppression of "public enemies", particularly in National Socialist Germany (1933 - 1945). Here political opponents came, rassisch pursued (particularly Jews), criminal one, "Asoziale", homosexuals and others into the concentration camps. The prisoners were without rights and to worst Quaelereien as well as drakonischen punishments exposed. They had to implement hard labour, which had to be carried out up to the total exhaustion. Many prisoners came usually right after the arrival into the gaskammern. The number of the victims was very high.
The first concentration camps were established 1933 (with the seizure of power by Hitler). Been subordinate since 1934 it altogether the SS. Existed until 1939 the three large camps Dachau, beech forest and Saxonia living and 25 smaller camps. The extent of the Graeuel was masked by hardest being silent requirements. The number of the concentration camps rose until 1944 to 22 with 165 external bearings. In the extermination camps (Auschwitz, Maidanek among other things as well as in the Gettos in Warsaw, Lemberg and Riga) the mass murders at the Jews were committed.
1945 - 1950 was used the concentration camps lain in their sphere of influence by the Soviet (Russian) military administration at that time as internment camps. 1990 was discovered mass graves from this period.
   
 

Häftlinge bei schwerer körperlicher Arbeit.

Prisoners with hard manual labor.



 

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