Osthofen KZ

[Larry C]

Amazing photos Robin..the before and after photos really tell a story.....this building looks like it is well kept. These little unheard of camps until now just continue to widen the scope of mass murder and misery. So many just thought that there were only ahandful of Camps..mainly the larger ones that got press billing...but not to be forgotten those who suffered under that current regime,,,are not forgotten,,,because of these threads. I know no other website that documents and exposes the new names and locations of these sub camps. None of these unknown named camps should never be taken for granted that the horror was only the larger KL camps. Good job Carl

[StefanM]

I was struck by the similar architectural style of the KL Osthofen building which was originally a paper factory and the former "Wepoba" Gemeinschaftslager on Juliusturm 53, Berlin-Spandau (see photos below), Wepoba Wellpappenfabrik Berlin was also a paper/cardboard factory.

[Larry C]

Hard to imagine it now with the trees and clean area surrounding the building that what this represented at one time.

[herrzark]

very interesting.thaks for posting them

[robin morley]

Thanks for the comments. I found Osthofen KZ interesting to visit, Located not very far from the town centre it is particuarly innocuous if it were not for the signage it could be passed thinking it was just another small industrial complex yet it was in these small sites that were the genesis of what was to evolve into the major complexes of Auswitz abd Bergan Belsen. The curator told us that she very rarely has private visitors such as ourselves and that the KZ is mostly visited by local school groups.

[CARL]

The curator told us that she very rarely has private visitors such as ourselves and that the KZ is mostly visited by local school groups.

Unfortunately this is the case with almost all of the sub-camps and earlier camps of the Konzentrationslager system. Due to the lack of exposure, people simply do not know that they are living near to one of these sites. Even some of the major camps are not frequented as much as one would expect. For example Flossenbürg - one of the largest concentration camps in Germany, was regarded by historians as "the forgotten camp", for many years until it was eventually developed towards the end of the last century.

[CARL]

Robin Morley quote "In contrast of other concentration camps there were no deaths in KZ Osthofen."

True, not one death was officially recorded, although it is perhaps difficult to believe when one learns of the poor conditions within the factory building. Initially, the inmates slept on the bare stone floor. Later, wooden bunks were built and the prisoners received thin blankets. The conditions improved when small chimneys were erected for the wood fire stoves, yet dampness and cold prevailed, leaving many former inmates to suffer bladder and kidney complaints for the remainder of their lives. Very rarely were the prisoners given soap to wash themselves and their clothing with. Generally, three outdoor taps were all that was provided - to accommodate the needs of an average prisoner population of around 200 at any one time. The guards were particularly cruel toward the Jewish inmates - with one such inmate forced to eat pork on Yom Kippur, the holiest of days for the Jews. Work details at Osthofen included local agricultural duties, especially at harvest time when farmers were able to use the prisoners as a labour force, for which they did not pay. Jews again suffered in this respect as they were forced to clean latrine ditches with their bare hands. A few prisoners did manage to escape, mostly during the initial months of the camp's existence.