Stalag I-B
Encyclopedia
Stalag I-B Hohenstein was a German
World War II
prisoner-of-war camp
located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Hohenstein, East Prussia
(now Olsztynek
, Poland
). The camp was partially located on the grounds of the Tannenberg Memorial
and initially included a set of wooden structures intended to house World War I veterans during Nazi festivities.
Established in 1939 to house Polish soldiers captured in the course of the September Campaign, with time it was extended to house also Belgians, French, Italian, Serbian and Soviet soldiers. Harsh conditions, malnutrition, maltreatment and recurring typhoid epidemics led to many deaths among the prisoners. Notably during the winter of 1941-1942 roughly 25 thousand people died there, mostly Soviet soldiers.
It is estimated that altogether 650,000 people passed through this camp and its' sub-camps. Between 50 and 55 thousand of them were buried in 500 mass grave
s at the Sudwa
cemetery located nearby. The site is commemorated with a memorial stone by Ryszard Wachowski. Since 1980 the Olsztynek-based municipal museum hosts a small exhibition devoted to the camp and its' inmates.
Parts of the former camp were uncovered during construction of the S7 Expressway
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
prisoner-of-war camp
Prisoner-of-war camp
A prisoner-of-war camp is a site for the containment of combatants captured by their enemy in time of war, and is similar to an internment camp which is used for civilian populations. A prisoner of war is generally a soldier, sailor, or airman who is imprisoned by an enemy power during or...
located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west of Hohenstein, East Prussia
East Prussia
East Prussia is the main part of the region of Prussia along the southeastern Baltic Coast from the 13th century to the end of World War II in May 1945. From 1772–1829 and 1878–1945, the Province of East Prussia was part of the German state of Prussia. The capital city was Königsberg.East Prussia...
(now Olsztynek
Olsztynek
Olsztynek is a town in Poland, in Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in Olsztyn County. It has 7,648 inhabitants .-History:The town was founded as Hohenstein by the Teutonic Order, which began to construct a castle in 1351 and granted Kulm law city rights in 1359.The Battle of Grunwald in 1410 took...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
). The camp was partially located on the grounds of the Tannenberg Memorial
Tannenberg Memorial
The Tannenberg Memorial commemorated fallen German soldiers of the second Battle of Tannenberg in 1914, which was named after the medieval Battle of Tannenberg...
and initially included a set of wooden structures intended to house World War I veterans during Nazi festivities.
Established in 1939 to house Polish soldiers captured in the course of the September Campaign, with time it was extended to house also Belgians, French, Italian, Serbian and Soviet soldiers. Harsh conditions, malnutrition, maltreatment and recurring typhoid epidemics led to many deaths among the prisoners. Notably during the winter of 1941-1942 roughly 25 thousand people died there, mostly Soviet soldiers.
It is estimated that altogether 650,000 people passed through this camp and its' sub-camps. Between 50 and 55 thousand of them were buried in 500 mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
s at the Sudwa
Sudwa
Sudwa is a village in the administrative district of Gmina Olsztynek, within Olsztyn County, Warmian-Masurian Voivodeship, in northern Poland. It lies approximately north-west of Olsztynek and south-west of the regional capital Olsztyn....
cemetery located nearby. The site is commemorated with a memorial stone by Ryszard Wachowski. Since 1980 the Olsztynek-based municipal museum hosts a small exhibition devoted to the camp and its' inmates.
Parts of the former camp were uncovered during construction of the S7 Expressway
Expressway S7 (Poland)
Expressway S7 or express road S7 is major road in Poland which has been planned to run from Gdańsk on the Baltic coast through Elbląg, Warsaw, Radom, Kielce and Kraków to Rabka near the border with Slovakia. On almost the entire route S7 will be built by upgrading existing National Road 7...
.
