Life in the camp Ravensbrück concentration camp

road roller

when new prisoner arrived @ ravensbrück required wear colour-coded triangle (a winkel) identified category, letter sewn within triangle indicating prisoner s nationality. example, polish women wore red triangles, denoting political prisoner, letter p . (by 1942, polish women became largest national component @ camp.) soviet prisoners of war, , german , austrian communists wore red triangles; common criminals wore green triangles; , jehovah s witnesses labelled lavender triangles. prostitutes, romani, lesbians, or women refused marry classified separately, black triangles. jewish women wore yellow triangles sometimes, unlike other prisoners, wore second triangle other categories. example, quite rassenschande ( racial pollution ).

some detainees had hair shaved, such czechoslovakia , poland, other transports did not. in 1943, instance, group of norwegian women came camp. (norwegians/scandinavians ranked nazis purest of aryans.) none had hair shaved.

between 1942 , 1943, jewish women ravensbrück camp sent auschwitz in several transports, following nazi policy make germany judenrein (cleansed of jews). based on nazis incomplete transport list zugangsliste, documenting 25,028 names of women sent nazis camp, estimated ravensbrück prisoner population s ethnic structure comprised: poles 24.9%, germans 19.9%, jews 15.1%, russians 15.0%, french 7.3%, romani 5.4%, other 12.4%. gestapo further categorised inmates as: political 83.54%, anti-social 12.35%, criminal 2.02%, jehovah s witnesses 1.11%, rassenschande (racial defilement) 0.78%, other 0.20%. list 1 of important documents, preserved in last moments of camp operation members of polish underground girl guides unit mury (the walls). rest of camp documents burned escaping ss overseers in pits or in crematorium.

barracks on grounds of former women s camp



site of former women s camp

one form of resistance secret education programmes organised prisoners fellow inmates. national groups had sort of programme. extensive among polish women, wherein various high school-level classes taught experienced teachers.

in 1939 , 1940, camp living conditions acceptable: laundry , bed linen changed regularly , food adequate, although in first winter of 1939/40, limitations began noticeable. german communist, margarete buber-neumann, came ravensbrück inmate after 2 years in russian soviet gulag. described first impressions of ravensbrück in comparison soviet camp in karaganda:

i looked across great square, , not believe eyes. surrounded manicured lawns, covered flower beds on bloomed bright red flowers. wide street, led large open area, flanked 2 rows of wooden barracks, on both sides stood rows of young trees , along roadside ran straight flower beds far eye see. square , streets seemed freshly raked. left towards watchtower, saw white wooden barrack , beside large cage, size of birdhouse see @ zoo. within paraded peacocks (stolzierten) , on climbing tree dangled monkeys , parrot screamed same word, mama . wondered, concentration camp ?

buber-nuemann wrote how first meal in ravensbrück exceeded expectations, when served sweet porridge dried fruit (backobst), plus generous portion of bread, margarine, , sausage.

camp (external view), guard house



former telephone exchange , water plant


nazi medical experiments

starting in summer of 1942, medical experiments conducted without consent on 86 women; 74 of them polish inmates. 2 types of experiments conducted on polish political prisoners. first type tested efficacy of sulfonamide drugs. these experiments involved deliberate cutting , infecting of leg bones , muscles virulent bacteria, cutting nerves, introducing substances pieces of wood or glass tissues, , fracturing bones.

the second set of experiments studied bone, muscle, , nerve regeneration, , possibility of transplanting bones 1 person another. out of 74 polish victims, called kaninchen, króliki, lapins, or rabbits experimenters, 5 died result of experiments, 6 unhealed wounds executed, , (with assistance other inmates) rest survived permanent physical damage. 4 such survivors — jadwiga dzido, maria broel-plater, władysława karolewska, , maria kuśmierczuk — testified against nazi doctors @ doctors trial in 1946.

between 120 , 140 romani women sterilised in camp in january 1945. had been deceived signing consent form, having been told camp overseers german authorities release them if complied.

forced labour

all inmates required heavy labour ranging strenuous outdoor jobs building v-2 rocket parts siemens. ss built several factories near ravensbrück production of textiles , electrical components.

the women forced work @ ravensbrück concentration camp s industries used skills in sewing , access factory make soldiers socks. purposely adjusted machines make fabric thin @ heel , toe, made socks broken when german soldiers marched. gave soldiers sore feet.

for women in camp, important retain of dignity , sense of humanity. therefore, made necklaces, bracelets, , other personal items, small dolls , books, keepsakes. these personal effects of great importance women , many of them risked lives keep these possessions. of these types of effects can seen @ exhibition voices ravensbrück (hosted lund university library, sweden).

the bodies of killed in camp cremated in nearby fürstenberg crematorium until 1943, when ss authorities constructed crematorium @ site near camp prison.

in january 1945 ss transformed hut near crematorium gas chamber germans gassed several thousand prisoners before camp s liberation in april 1945; in particular killed 3600 prisoners uckermark police camp deviant girls , women, taken under control of ravensbrück ss @ start of 1945.

surviving female prisoners gathered when red cross arrived @ ravensbrück in april 1945. white paint camp crosses show prisoners, not civilians.