Owning Auschwitz

[StefanM]

In 1998 a TV documentary called: Witness: Owning Auschwitz was produced by Granada TV in the UK telling the story of Mrs. Frank and her family's ownership of land at Auschwitz concentration camp; a book Owning Auschwitz was also produced by Mrs. Frank.



Just a few hundred meters from the gates of Auschwitz I is a piece of land owned by a Holocaust survivor, Mrs. Zypora Frank. Mrs. Frank inherited the land via her late grandfather, Jozef Melzer. In the 1930s, Jozef, a prosperous Polish Jewish businessman, built a factory that produced tar roof tiles on the land at Oświęcim, he also built a railway line to the tile factory.

The Germans confiscated the Melzer land and tore down Jozef's roof tile factory to build a new factory on part of the site and that German factory building, though derelict, still stands on the site today!





Jozef Melzer, along with many other members of Zypora's family, perished in the Holocaust, some of them at Auschwitz. But the young Zypora and her mother, father, and brother managed to flee east to escape the German invasion from the west, however the Soviets invading Poland from the east, rounded them up, and transported them to a gulag in Siberia. Ironically, this twist of fate probably saved their lives.

In doing some research on the Melzer land I recently discovered that the iconic photo of Auschwitz prisoners slaving away building the Krupps factory is actually the factory that was built on Jozef Melzer's land. This has not been picked up before.

[roger9344]

Very impressive. Adds a personal touch to the history of that horrible place.

[douglas2496]

Most interesting.

[StefanM]

We often overlook that the land the German's commandeered to build the extermination camp complexes on mostly belonged to private landowners. The Krupps factory on the Melzer land at Auschwitz was taken over by the Polish state after the war and for many years it was used by a car repair company although the land title still belongs to the Melzer family.

[Wagriff]

It would be interesting to see the Melzer family begin eviction proceedings on them...

[bigmacglenn]

I read that part of the Auschwitz Lager used to be a Polish Cavalry barracks before the war...
cheers, Glenn

[Gunny Hartmann]

I read that part of the Auschwitz Lager used to be a Polish Cavalry barracks before the war...
cheers, Glenn

That was Auschwitz I, it served as Polish army artillery barracks.

[CARL]

Yes, the Stammlager (main camp), Auschwitz-I was a Polish barrack before the war. If one looks at images of the brick buildings, such as the photograph of the Infirmary Block, No.20 shown below, the additional second floors, added by the Germans, are clearly visible.

Regards,

Carl

[StefanM]

I read that part of the Auschwitz Lager used to be a Polish Cavalry barracks before the war...
cheers, Glenn

Below is a pre-1939 photo of a Polish cavalry troop at the Oświęcim barracks which was later to become Auschwitz-I after the Polish town of Oświęcim was annexed into the Gau of Upper Silesia by the Germans and renamed Auschwitz.

[CARL]

Below is a pre-1939 photo of a Polish cavalry troop at the Oświęcim barracks which was later to become Auschwitz-I after the Polish town of Oświęcim was annexed into the Gau of Upper Silesia by the Germans and renamed Auschwitz.

That is a fine image. Appears to show the building that became Block 24, or possibly Block 26. Block 24 was used to locate the library on the ground floor. The camp brothel was later introduced on the upper floor. Block 26 was a store barrack.

Regards,

Carl