Concentration Camps in Europe

Bergen-Belsen

Bergen-Belsen served mainly served as a holding camp for Jewish prisoners. It was built in 1940 and was originally a prisoner of war camp, but was converted into a concentration camp in 1943. The camp was designed to hold 10,000 prisoners, but by the end of the war more than 60,000 prisoners were held there. As the German Army retreated, concentration camps were evacuated and prisoners were sent to Bergen-Belsen. Even though the camp did not have any gas chambers, more than 35,000 people died of starvation, overwork, disease, and brutality. Bergen-Belsen was liberated in April, 1945. This camp was the first major camp to be liberated by the allies, and the first time the world saw the real horrors of the Holocaust.

Breendonck

Breendonck was originally a military fort, but was used as a waiting camp designed to receive Jews and other prisoners before they were transferred to Germany. The first prisoners arrived on December 20, 1940. The guards were members of Wehrmacht. In the beginning, conditions of life weren’t as bad as in the German concentration camps. But after German troops invaded Russia in June 1941, the guards were replaced by German SS and Breendonck became like any other Nazi camp. Breendock was evacuated on May 6, 1944, and all the prisoners were transferred to other camps in Germany. When the Allied troops arrived at Breendonck on September 3, 1944, the camp was empty.

Buchenwald

One of the largest concentration camps, Buchenwald was constructed in 1937 and opened for male prisoners in July 1937. The camp did not have any women until 1944. The early prisoners at Buchenwald were political prisoners. But after Kristallnacht in 1938, Almost 10,000 Jews were sent to the camp. Buchenwald was a labor camp with 110,000 prisoners by the end of 1945. In early April 1945, As U.S. forces approached the camp, the Germans began to evacuate 38,000 prisoners, about a third of which died from exhaustion. On April 11, 1945, prisoners of Buchenwald seized control of the camp. Later than day, American forces entered Buchenwald. 20,000 people were found in the camp, about 4,000 of them Jews. About 56,000 people were killed in Buchenwald, most of them after 1942.

Dachau

Dachau was a labor camp established in March 1933. During the early years, the prisoners were mostly political opponents of the Nazi regime. Over time, other groups such as Jehova’s Witnesses, Gypsies, and homosexuals were held in Dachau. Few Jews were held there at first. The number of Jewish prisoners rose with increasing persecution of Jews. In November 1938 (after Kristallnacht) more than 10,000 Jewish men were sent to Dachau. In its early years, the camp held about 4,800 prisoners. By 1937 the number had risen to 13,000. Prisoners were used as forced laborers. At first they were used in small projects such as building roads and draining marshes. But during the war, forced labor in concentration camps became increasingly important in the production of German weapons. On April 29, 1945, the camp was surrendered to the American army. At that time, there were 67,000 prisoners.