Oranienburg concentration camp
Encyclopedia
Oranienburg concentration camp was one of the first detention facilities established by the Nazis when they gained power in 1933. It held the Nazis' political opponents from the Berlin
region, mostly members of the Communist Party of Germany
and social-democrats, as well as a number of homosexual men.
It was established in the center of the town of Oranienburg
when the SA
took over a disused factory (possibly a brewery). Passers-by were able to see inside the prison. Prisoners were marched through the town to perform forced labour on behalf of the local council.
The prison was taken over by the SS on 4 July 1934, when the SA was suppressed by the regime
. It was closed and subsequently replaced in the area by Sachsenhausen concentration camp
. At closure, the prison had held over 3,000 inmates, of whom 16 had died.
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
region, mostly members of the Communist Party of Germany
Communist Party of Germany
The Communist Party of Germany was a major political party in Germany between 1918 and 1933, and a minor party in West Germany in the postwar period until it was banned in 1956...
and social-democrats, as well as a number of homosexual men.
It was established in the center of the town of Oranienburg
Oranienburg
Oranienburg is a town in Brandenburg, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Oberhavel.- Geography :Oranienburg is a town located on the banks of the Havel river, 35 km north of the centre of Berlin.- Division of the town :...
when the SA
Sturmabteilung
The Sturmabteilung functioned as a paramilitary organization of the National Socialist German Workers' Party . It played a key role in Adolf Hitler's rise to power in the 1920s and 1930s...
took over a disused factory (possibly a brewery). Passers-by were able to see inside the prison. Prisoners were marched through the town to perform forced labour on behalf of the local council.
The prison was taken over by the SS on 4 July 1934, when the SA was suppressed by the regime
Night of the Long Knives
The Night of the Long Knives , sometimes called "Operation Hummingbird " or in Germany the "Röhm-Putsch," was a purge that took place in Nazi Germany between June 30 and July 2, 1934, when the Nazi regime carried out a series of political murders...
. It was closed and subsequently replaced in the area by Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen concentration camp
Sachsenhausen or Sachsenhausen-Oranienburg was a Nazi concentration camp in Oranienburg, Germany, used primarily for political prisoners from 1936 to the end of the Third Reich in May, 1945. After World War II, when Oranienburg was in the Soviet Occupation Zone, the structure was used as an NKVD...
. At closure, the prison had held over 3,000 inmates, of whom 16 had died.
See also
- List of Nazi-German concentration camps
- Standing cellStanding cellA standing cell was a special cell used in Nazi concentration camps during the Third Reich. It was used as extra and severe punishment within the concentration camp system, being constructed so as to prevent the prisoner from doing anything but standing while held there. In addition, prisoners in...
- Erich MühsamErich MühsamErich Mühsam was a German-Jewish anarchist essayist, poet and playwright. He emerged at the end of World War I as one of the leading agitators for a federated Bavarian Soviet Republic....