Gross-Rosen concentration camp

The camp was named after the nearby village and became the center of a vast network of at least 97 subcamps. As of January 1, 1945, the Gross-Rosen complex held 76,728 prisoners, including nearly 26,000 women, most of them Jews, making it one of the largest groupings of female prisoners in the concentration camp system.

Initially, prisoners were employed primarily as forced laborers in the construction of the camp and in the nearby SS-owned granite quarry. The emphasis on armaments production led to the expansion of Gross-Rosen, which became an industrial complex and the administrative head-quarter of its subcamps. The camp’s population saw a significant influx of Jews starting in late 1943, with as many as 60,000 Jewish prisoners deported to Gross-Rosen until January 1945, mostly from Poland and Hungary, and later from western and southern Europe.

One notable subcamp of Gross-Rosen was Bruennlitz, established in an empty textile factory through the efforts of Oskar Schindler. Here, 1,100 Jewish prisoners who had worked for Schindler in Krakow-Plaszow were able to survive the war.

As Soviet forces approached in January 1945, the Germans began evacuating the Gross-Rosen complex, dissolving subcamps east of the Oder River. The SS evacuated the main camp and additional subcamps west of the Oder in early February 1945. At least 44,000 prisoners, many of them Jews, were moved to other camps in the German Reich under brutal conditions. Many prisoners died during these evacuations due to lack of food and water, and SS guards killed those too weak to continue. The main Gross-Rosen camp was liberated by Soviet forces on February 13, 1945.

It is estimated that of the 120,000 prisoners who passed through the Gross-Rosen camp system, at least 40,000 died either in Gross-Rosen or during the evacuation of the camp.

Today, the Gross-Rosen Memorial site serves as a place of remembrance and education. It includes preserved remnants of the camp, a museum, and educational resources, providing a comprehensive understanding of the camp’s history and its role in the Holocaust.