Between 1941 and 1945, the German Nazis established six extermination camps in German-occupied Polish territory - Chelmno, Belzec, Sobibor, Treblinka, Auschwitz-Birkenau and Majdanek.Both Auschwitz and Majdanek functioned as concentration and forced-labor camps as well as killing centers. The term "death march" was probably coined by concentration camp prisoners. 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW Camps such as Auschwitz in Poland, Buchenwald in central Germany, Gross-Rosen in eastern Germany, Natzweiler-Struthof in eastern France, Ravensbrueck near Berlin, and Stutthof near Danzig on the Baltic coast became administrative centers of huge networks of subsidiary forced-labor camps. As Allied troops moved across Europe in a series of offensives on Germany, they began to encounter and liberate concentration camp prisoners, many of whom had survived death marches into the interior of Germany. According to SS reports, there were more than 700,000 prisoners registered in the concentration camps in January 1945. This rapid expansion and military success resulted in an influx of forced laborers as the Nazi army captured prisoners of war and more opponents of the Nazi policy. US forces liberated the Buchenwald, Dora-Mittelbau, Flossenbürg, Dachau, and Mauthausen camps. The methods developed at Dachau over the next year would be transmitted to every other forced labor camp built by the Third Reich. The Nazi camp system expanded rapidly after the beginning of World War II in September 1939, as forced labor became important in war production. Concentration Camps Maps: Camps in Germany. Including the satellite camps, the total number of Nazi concentration camps that existed at one point in time is at least 1,000, although these did not all exist at the same time. Surprised by the rapid Soviet advance, the Germans attempted to demolish the camp in an effort to hide the evidence of mass murder. Auschwitz, the most infamous Nazi camp, was just one of more than 850 camps; There were 20 main concentration camps, plus another four extermination camp complexes Main telephone: 202.488.0400 Throughout German-occupied Europe, the Germans arrested those who resisted their domination and those they judged to be racially inferior or politically unacceptable. Labor shortages in the German war economy became critical after German defeat in the battle of Stalingrad in 1942-1943. In July 1934, when the elite Nazi guard known as the SS (Schutzstaffel or Protection Squadrons) gained its independence from the SA (Sturmabteilungen or Storm Detachment), Hitler commanded the chief SS leader Heinrich Himmler to organize the camps into a system and centralize management and administration. Washington, DC 20024-2126 Subcamps were generally smaller camps administered by the main camps, which supplied them with the required number of prisoners. Nazi concentration and death camps in Eastern Europe. Throughout German-occupied Europe, the Germans arrested those who resisted their domination and those they judged to be racially inferior or politically unacceptable. Germany officially declared war and began taking over territories outside its own in September of 1939. At first, these concentration camps were meant to hold political prisoners; but by the beginning of World War II, these concentration camps had transformed and expanded to house vast numbers of non-political prisoners whom the Nazis exploited through forced labor. People arrested for resisting German rule were mostly sent to forced-labor or concentration camps. In 1942, three more death camps were built (Treblinka, Sobibor, and Belzec) and used solely for mass murder. The Soviets also liberated major Nazi camps at Auschwitz, Stutthof, Sachsenhausen, and Ravensbrück. Around this time, killing centers were also added at the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Majdanek. The mayor of Munich at the time described the camp as a place to detain political opponents of the Nazi policy. Even the city of Berlin itself held prisoners of the German secret state police (the Gestapo) at the Columbia Haus facility. The Germans deported Jews from all over occupied Europe to extermination camps in Poland, where they were systematically killed, and also to concentration camps, where they were used for forced labor. Soviet forces were the first to approach a major Nazi camp, reaching the Majdanek camp near Lublin, Poland, in July 1944. This expanded to include Jews and other people seen as inferior by the Nazi regime. Concentration Camps Maps: Table of Contents|In France & Belgium|In Poland. From 1933 to 1945, Nazi Germany operated more than a thousand concentration camps on its own territory and in parts of German-occupied Europe. Throughout German-occupied Europe, the Germans arrested those who resisted their domination and those they judged to be racially inferior or politically unacceptable. By 1941, the Nazis began building Chelmno, the first extermination camp (also called a death camp), to "exterminate" both Jews and Gypsies. Washington, DC 20024-2126 close. The Dachau concentration camp was established in 1933 and operated continuously until the end of the war in 1945. Download our mobile app for on-the-go access to the Jewish Virtual Library. It was the first concentration camp of the Nazi regime and it is estimated that at least 188,000 prisoners were incarcerated there between 1933 and 1945. During the Holocaust, the Nazis established concentration camps across Europe. This led to the increased use of concentration camp prisoners as forced laborers in German armaments industries. In this map of concentration and death camps, you can see how far the Nazi Reich expanded over Eastern Europe and get an idea of how many lives were affected by their presence. Especially in 1943 and 1944, hundreds of subcamps were established in or near industrial plants. Extermination camps were killing centers designed to carry out genocide. Throughout German-occupied Europe, the Germans arrested those who resisted their domination and those they judged to be racially inferior or politically unacceptable. According to the Encyclopedia of Camps and Ghettos, there were 23 main concentration camps (German: Stammlager), of which most had a system of satellite camps. Major Nazi camps in Europe, January 1944. The largest death marches were launched from Auschwitz and Stutthof. Jennifer Rosenberg is a historian and writer who specializes in 20th-century history. The locations of the various concentration camps from the holocaust during World War 2. It referred to forced marches of concentration camp prisoners over long distances under heavy guard and extremely harsh conditions. British forces liberated camps in northern Germany, including Neuengamme and Bergen-Belsen. Subcamps were generally smaller camps administered by the main camps, which supplied them with the required number of prisoners. We would like to thank The Crown and Goodman Family and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing We would like to thank The Crown and Goodman Family and the Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation for supporting the ongoing The Germans deported Jews from all over occupied Europe to extermination camps in Poland, where they were systematically killed, and also to concentration camps, where they were used for forced labor. People arrested for resisting German rule were mostly sent to forced-labor or concentration camps. During death marches, SS guards brutally mistreated the prisoners and killed many. Major Nazi camps in Europe, January 1944. ThoughtCo/ Jennifer Rosenberg. This led to the increased use of concentration camp prisoners as forced laborers in German armaments industries. According to SS reports, there were more than 700,000 prisoners registered in the concentration camps in January 1945. Category » Ghettos & Concentration Camps: Join our mailing list. Thus began the process for systemizing the imprisonment of large swaths of Jewish people and other non-political opponents of the Nazi regime. Dachau, the first concentration camp, was established near Munich in March 1933, two months after Hitler's appointment as chancellor of Germany. People arrested for resisting German rule were mostly sent to forced-labor or concentration camps. Sources: Yad Vashem. Find topics of interest and explore encyclopedia content related to those topics, Find articles, photos, maps, films, and more listed alphabetically, Recommended resources and topics if you have limited time to teach about the Holocaust, Explore the ID Cards to learn more about personal experiences during the Holocaust.

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