Jump to content

Lichtenburg concentration camp: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 51°39′45″N 12°55′55″E / 51.66250°N 12.93194°E / 51.66250; 12.93194
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
(39 intermediate revisions by 22 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Nazi concentration camp in Germany}}
[[File:Schloss Lichtenburg01.jpg|thumb|300px|Lichtenburg Castle]]
⚫
{{Infobox concentration camp
⚫
'''Lichtenburg''' was a [[Nazi concentration camps|Nazi concentration camp]], housed in a [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] castle in [[Prettin]], near [[Wittenberg]] in the [[Province of Saxony]]. Along with [[Sachsenburg (concentration camp)|Sachsenburg]], it was among the first to be built by the Nazis, and was operated by the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] from 1933 to 1939.<ref name="Pyramid">[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061223/ap_on_re_eu/holocaust_papers_pyramid_of_persecution Holocaust Papers Pyramid of Persecution]</ref> It held as many as 2000 male prisoners from 1933 to 1937 and from 1937 to 1939 held female prisoners.<ref name="ASF">[http://www.asf-ev.de/en/work_camps/current_program/sola2006/lichtenburgprettin_germany/ Lichtenburgprettin Germany]</ref> It was closed in May 1939, when the [[Ravensbrück concentration camp]] for women was opened.
| type = <!-- Infobox subheader text, defaults to "Concentration camp" -->
| name = Lichtenburg
| image = Schloss Lichtenburg01.jpg
| image size =
| caption = Lichtenburg Castle
| alt =
| location map = Germany
| map alt =
| map relief = 1
| map label =
| map label position =
| map caption =
| map size =
| other names =
| known for = One of the first [[Nazi concentration camps]]
| location = [[Prettin]], [[Province of Saxony|Saxony]]
| coordinates = {{Coord |51|39|45|N |12|55|55|E }}
| built by =
| operated by = [[Nazi Germany]]
| commandant = {{plainlist|
* [[Theodor Eicke]] (May 1934&nbsp;– July 1934)
* [[Bernhard Schmidt (SS)|Bernhard Schmidt]] <small>([[:de:Bernhard Schmidt (SS-Mitglied)|de]])</small> (July 1934&nbsp;– March 1935)
* [[Otto Reich (SS)|Otto Reich]] <small>([[:de:Otto Reich (SS-Mitglied)|de]])</small> (March 1935&nbsp;– March 1936)
* [[Hermann Baranowski]] (April 1936&nbsp;– October 1936)
* [[Hans Helwig]] (November 1936&nbsp;– July 1937)
* [[Alexander Piorkowski]] (July 1937&nbsp;– December 1937)
}}
| original use =
| construction =
| in operation = 13 June 1933–May 1939
| gas chambers =
| prisoner type = Before 1937, male political prisoners; after 1937, female political prisoners
| inmates = More than 2,000
| killed =
| liberated by =
| notable inmates = [[Lina Haag]]
| notable books =
| website =
}}

⚫
'''Lichtenburg''' was a [[Nazi concentration camps|Nazi concentration camp]], housed in a [[Renaissance architecture|Renaissance]] castle in [[Prettin]], near [[Wittenberg]] in the [[Province of Saxony]]. Along with [[Sachsenburg (concentration camp)|Sachsenburg]], it was among the first to be built by the Nazis, and was operated by the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] from 1933 to 1939.<ref name="Pyramid">[https://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061223/ap_on_re_eu/holocaust_papers_pyramid_of_persecution Holocaust Papers Pyramid of Persecution]</ref> It held as many as 2000 male prisoners from 1933 to 1937 and from 1937 to 1939 held female prisoners.<ref name="ASF">[http://www.asf-ev.de/en/work_camps/current_program/sola2006/lichtenburgprettin_germany/ Lichtenburgprettin Germany]</ref> It was closed in May 1939, when the [[Ravensbrück concentration camp]] for women was opened, which replaced Lichtenburg as the main camp for female prisoners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/ravensbruck-timeline-of-persecution|title=Ravensbrück Concentration Camp: Timeline of Persecution (1938 - 1945)|last=|first=|date=|website=Jewish Virtual Library|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>


==Operation==
==Operation==
Details about the operation of Lichtenburg, held by the [[International Tracing Service]], only became available to researchers in late 2006.<ref name="Pyramid"/> An account of the way the camp was run may be read in [[Lina Haag]]'s book ''A Handful of Dust'' or ''How Long the Night''. Haag was perhaps the best known survivor of Lichtenburg, having obtained release before it was shut down.
Details about the operation of Lichtenburg, held by the [[International Tracing Service]], only became available to researchers in late 2006.<ref name="Pyramid"/> An account of the way the camp was run may be read in [[Lina Haag]]'s book ''A Handful of Dust'' or ''How Long the Night''. Haag was perhaps the best known survivor of Lichtenburg, having obtained release before it was shut down.


Lichtenburg was among the first [[concentration camp]]s in [[Nazi Germany]] operating from 13 June 1933, it became a kind of model for numerous subsequent establishments. Soon overcrowded, the detention conditions increasingly aggravated. Most of the inmates were [[political prisoner]]s, from 1934 also [[Persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany and the Holocaust|persecuted homosexuals]] and so-called [[habitual offender]]s (''Gewohnheitsverbrecher'').
Lichtenburg was among the first [[concentration camp]]s in [[Nazi Germany]] operating from 13 June 1933; it became a kind of model for numerous subsequent establishments. Soon overcrowded, the detention conditions became increasingly aggravated. Most of the inmates were [[political prisoner]]s, and so-called [[habitual offender]]s (''Gewohnheitsverbrecher''). From 1937 on it became a camp only for women.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.its-arolsen.org/nc/en/latest-news/news/details/news/detail/News/interview-made-possible-with-survivor-of-lichtenburg-concentration-camp/|website=ITS|title=Interview made possible with survivor of Lichtenburg concentration camp|publisher=International Tracing Service|accessdate=April 3, 2018}}</ref> In 1939 the [[Schutzstaffel|SS]] transferred 900 Lichtenburg prisoners to [[Ravensbrück concentration camp|Ravensbrück]], which were its first female prisoners.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/article.php?ModuleId=10007758|title=Ravensbrück: Timeline|last=|first=|date=|website=United States Holocaust Memorial Museum|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=April 4, 2018}}</ref>


The castle today houses a regional museum and exhibit about Lichtenburg's use during the Nazi period.<ref name="ASF"/>
The castle today houses a regional museum and exhibit about Lichtenburg's use during the Nazi period.<ref name="ASF"/>
Line 11: Line 52:
== Personnel<ref>Stefan Hördler, Sigrid Jacobeit (Hrsg.): ''Dokumentations- und Gedenkort KZ Lichtenburg'', Berlin 2009, p. 125ff.</ref> ==
== Personnel<ref>Stefan Hördler, Sigrid Jacobeit (Hrsg.): ''Dokumentations- und Gedenkort KZ Lichtenburg'', Berlin 2009, p. 125ff.</ref> ==
=== Camp commandant ===
=== Camp commandant ===
* May 1934 – July 1934: [[SS-Brigadeführer]] [[Theodor Eicke]]
* May 1934&nbsp;– July 1934: [[SS-Brigadeführer]] [[Theodor Eicke]]
* July 1934 – March 1935: [[SS-Obersturmbannführer]] [[Bernhard Schmidt (SS)|Bernhard Schmidt]]
* July 1934&nbsp;– March 1935: [[SS-Obersturmbannführer]] [[Bernhard Schmidt (SS)|Bernhard Schmidt]]
* March 1935 – March 1936: [[SS-Standartenführer]] [[Otto Reich (SS)|Otto Reich]]
* March 1935&nbsp;– March 1936: [[SS-Standartenführer]] [[Otto Reich (SS)|Otto Reich]]
* April 1936 – October 1936: SS-Standartenführer [[Hermann Baranowski]]
* April 1936&nbsp;– October 1936: SS-Standartenführer [[Hermann Baranowski]]
* November 1936 – July 1937: SS-Standartenführer [[Hans Helwig]]
* November 1936&nbsp;– July 1937: SS-Standartenführer [[Hans Helwig]]
* July 1937 – December 1937: Commisar [[Alexander Piorkowski]]
* July 1937&nbsp;– December 1937: Commisar [[Alexander Piorkowski]]


=== Protective custody chief ===
=== Protective custody chief ===
* July 1934 - February 1935: [[Edgar Entsberger]]
* July 1934 – February 1935: [[Edgar Entsberger]]
* February 1935 - April 1935 [[Karl Otto Koch]]
* February 1935 – April 1935 [[Karl Otto Koch]]
* April 1935 - October 1936 [[Heinrich Remmert]]
* April 1935 – October 1936 [[Heinrich Remmert]]
* November 1936 - August 1937 [[Egon Zill]]
* November 1936 – August 1937 [[Egon Zill]]


=== Director of women's camp ===
=== Director of women's camp ===
* December 1937 - May 1939 [[Günther Tamaschke]]
* December 1937 – May 1939 [[Günther Tamaschke]]


=== Deputy director of camp ===
=== Deputy director of camp ===
* December 1937 - August 1938 [[Alexander Piorkowski]]
* December 1937 – August 1938 [[Alexander Piorkowski]]
* September 1938 - May 1939 [[Max Koegel]]
* September 1938 – May 1939 [[Max Koegel]]


==See also==
==Notable inmates==
* [[Olga Benario-Prestes]], German-Brasilian resistance fighter
⚫
*[[Sachsenburg concentration camp]]
* [[Armin T. Wegner]], documentor of Armenian genocide
* [[Walter Czollek]], Communist
* [[Arthur Dietzsch]], Communist
* [[Friedrich Ebert junior]], Politician, son of [[Friedrich Ebert]]
* [[Philomena Franz]], Sinti writer
* [[Philipp Fries]] Socialist politician
* [[Paul Frölich]], journalist and biographer of Rosa Luxemburg
* {{Ill|Ernst Grube (Socialist)|de|Ernst Grube}}, Socialist politician (not to be confused with [[Ernst Grube]] (b. 1932), son of Jewish & Communist parents)
* [[Lotti Huber]], actress
* [[Erich Knauf]], journalist and songwriter, later executed for making jokes
* [[Wolfgang Langhoff]], actor
* [[Hans Litten]], lawyer
* [[Wilhelm Leuschner]], unionist
* [[Hans Lorbeer]], author
* [[Karl Mache]], Socialist politician
* [[Charles Regnier]], actor
* [[Ernst Reuter]], Social Democrat
* [[Kurt von Ruffin]], actor
* [[Gotthard Sachsenberg]], WW1 ace and later [[Reich Party of the German Middle Class|WP]] politician
* [[Werner Scholem]], Communist politician
* [[Fritz Thurm]] (1883–1937), Social Democrat
* [[Lisa Ullrich]], Communist politician
* [[Ilse Unterdörfer]] missionary

== See also ==
* [[Persecution of Jehovah's Witnesses in Nazi Germany]]


==References==
==References==
Line 38: Line 105:


==External links==
==External links==
*[https://www.memorialmuseums.org/eng/denkmaeler/view/43/Lichtenburg-Concentration-Camp-Memorial]
*[http://www.asf-ev.de/en/work_camps/current_program/sola2006/lichtenburgprettin_germany/ Lichtenburg page]
*[http://www.lichtenburg.org/ Lichtenburg page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20070502025737/http://www.lichtenburg.org/ Lichtenburg page]
*[http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/2005/Lichtenburg.htm Lichtenburg page]
*[http://www.edwardvictor.com/Holocaust/2005/Lichtenburg.htm]
*[https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/pa1042411 Visit to the camp by SS officer Theodor Eicke (image)]


==Further reading==
==Further reading==
*Sarah Helm: Ravensbruck: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration camp For Women. 2015 Penguin Random House, pps 4, 17-19, Prisoners sent from Lichtenberg to Ravensbruck 6-21.
*Stefan Hördler: ''Before the Holocaust: Concentration Camp Lichtenburg and the Evolution of the Nazi Camp System.'' Holocaust and Genocide Studies 25, no. 1 (Spring 2011): 100–126.
*Stefan Hördler: ''Before the Holocaust: Concentration Camp Lichtenburg and the Evolution of the Nazi Camp System.'' Holocaust and Genocide Studies 25, no. 1 (Spring 2011): 100–126.
*Nikolaus Wachsmann: ''KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps.'' 2015 Farrar, Straus and Giroux.


{{coord|51|39|45|N|12|55|55|E|display=title|region:DE-ST_type:landmark_source:dewiki}}
{{coord|51|39|45|N|12|55|55|E|display=title|region:DE-ST_type:landmark_source:dewiki}}
{{early camps}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Lichtenburg concentration camp|*]]
[[Category:Lichtenburg concentration camp| ]]
[[Category:Nazi concentration camps in Germany]]
[[Category:Subcamps of Buchenwald]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures in Wittenberg]]
[[Category:Museums in Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:Museums in Saxony-Anhalt]]
[[Category:World War II museums in Germany]]
[[Category:World War II museums in Germany]]
[[Category:1933 establishments in Germany]]

[[Category:1939 disestablishments in Germany]]
{{Nazi-stub}}
{{SaxonyAnhalt-struct-stub}}

Revision as of 08:12, 14 April 2024

Lichtenburg
Concentration camp
Lichtenburg Castle
Lichtenburg concentration camp is located in Germany
Lichtenburg concentration camp
Location of Lichtenburg within Germany
Coordinates51°39′45″N 12°55′55″E / 51.66250°N 12.93194°E / 51.66250; 12.93194
Known forOne of the first Nazi concentration camps
LocationPrettin, Saxony
Operated byNazi Germany
Commandant
Operational13 June 1933–May 1939
InmatesBefore 1937, male political prisoners; after 1937, female political prisoners
Number of inmatesMore than 2,000
Notable inmatesLina Haag

Lichtenburg was a Nazi concentration camp, housed in a Renaissance castle in Prettin, near Wittenberg in the Province of Saxony. Along with Sachsenburg, it was among the first to be built by the Nazis, and was operated by the SS from 1933 to 1939.[1] It held as many as 2000 male prisoners from 1933 to 1937 and from 1937 to 1939 held female prisoners.[2] It was closed in May 1939, when the Ravensbrück concentration camp for women was opened, which replaced Lichtenburg as the main camp for female prisoners.[3]

Operation

Details about the operation of Lichtenburg, held by the International Tracing Service, only became available to researchers in late 2006.[1] An account of the way the camp was run may be read in Lina Haag's book A Handful of Dust or How Long the Night. Haag was perhaps the best known survivor of Lichtenburg, having obtained release before it was shut down.

Lichtenburg was among the first concentration camps in Nazi Germany operating from 13 June 1933; it became a kind of model for numerous subsequent establishments. Soon overcrowded, the detention conditions became increasingly aggravated. Most of the inmates were political prisoners, and so-called habitual offenders (Gewohnheitsverbrecher). From 1937 on it became a camp only for women.[4] In 1939 the SS transferred 900 Lichtenburg prisoners to Ravensbrück, which were its first female prisoners.[5]

The castle today houses a regional museum and exhibit about Lichtenburg's use during the Nazi period.[2]

Personnel[6]

Camp commandant

Protective custody chief

Director of women's camp

Deputy director of camp

Notable inmates

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Holocaust Papers Pyramid of Persecution
  2. ^ a b Lichtenburgprettin Germany
  3. ^ "Ravensbrück Concentration Camp: Timeline of Persecution (1938 - 1945)". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  4. ^ "Interview made possible with survivor of Lichtenburg concentration camp". ITS. International Tracing Service. Retrieved April 3, 2018.
  5. ^ "Ravensbrück: Timeline". United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  6. ^ Stefan Hördler, Sigrid Jacobeit (Hrsg.): Dokumentations- und Gedenkort KZ Lichtenburg, Berlin 2009, p. 125ff.

Further reading

  • Sarah Helm: Ravensbruck: Life and Death in Hitler's Concentration camp For Women. 2015 Penguin Random House, pps 4, 17-19, Prisoners sent from Lichtenberg to Ravensbruck 6-21.
  • Stefan Hördler: Before the Holocaust: Concentration Camp Lichtenburg and the Evolution of the Nazi Camp System. Holocaust and Genocide Studies 25, no. 1 (Spring 2011): 100–126.
  • Nikolaus Wachsmann: KL: A History of the Nazi Concentration Camps. 2015 Farrar, Straus and Giroux.

51°39′45″N 12°55′55″E / 51.66250°N 12.93194°E / 51.66250; 12.93194

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Lichtenburg_concentration_camp&oldid=1218860906"