Potulice concentration camp

The office in camp - Potulitz (temporarily SS labor in camp, also UWZ - in camp ) was in the years 1941-1945 during the German occupation of Poland, an internment and labor camps in the Polish city Potulice.

History

After the annexation of Poland and thus also of the then border town Potulice 1939 its Polish name was Germanized to Potulitz, and renamed in 1942 in Resettlement. On 1 February 1941, stock for under resettlement displaced by the Germans Poland was built in the place. First, the cellars and outbuildings of the palace Potulice (Villa Potulice ) were used as storage. In the fall of 1942, 30 barracks were built.

The camp was organizationally placed under part of the transfer office in Gdansk - Gdynia and the Security Service of the Reichsführer -SS. The SS was with staff on site. Beginning in 1942, the camp was under the bearing point Denten of Stutthof concentration camp, Max Pauly and the external labor camp Bromberg - Brahnau the Stutthof concentration camp, it was affiliated to him in today's district Łęgnowo. It was the forced labor camp (also SS - work in camp ).

In March 1942, about 1,050 people were interned in the camp. The end of 1943 there were 6,878. The poor living conditions in the camp were comparable to those of a concentration camp. As of 1943, the camp was also Ostjugendverwahrlager for children from the conquered Soviet territories ( UWZ - in camp ). In Stock children were interned by the Soviet and Polish partisans who forced to work there. Furthermore, transport from Auschwitz (1943 ), the juveniles from Lodz, Katowice the camp, bearing Sorau / Rybnik and by the Gestapo branch Lüneburg ( 1944) is in the camp.

The camp in Resettlement / Potulice was released on 21 January 1945 by the Red Army. During the period of Nazi rule, a total of about 25,000 people were interned in Resettlement. It died demonstrably 1,291 people in the camp, including 581 children under five years.

Later history

Beginning in 1945, the existing infrastructure for the establishment of the Central Labor Camp Potulice was used, were housed in the approximately 36,000 German, but also anti-communist Polish civilians and set some prisoners of war. The internment took place in the context of German expulsion from Central and Eastern Europe after the war.

To 1950/1951, the labor camp was first converted into a prison for political prisoners. From 1961 it was rebuilt and rebuilt in a regular prison for offenders. 1974, a wall was built around the area. Today, the state prison has space for 1,446 prisoners.

Memorial

1958/1959 was on the verge of Potulice a memorial cemetery for the victims of the camp of 1941 - 1945 inaugurated and placed grave crosses. 1969, a memorial to the victims of the time of the Nazi regime was established, which was created by George Buczkowski.

The memorial commemorates today at both camps.