Bergen-Belsen concentration camp

Bergen-Belsen concentration camp was a Nazi concentration camp located in what is now Lower Saxony in northern Germany, southwest of the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp in 1940, it became a concentration camp in 1943. Bergen-Belsen was notorious for the appalling conditions within the camp and the high mortality rate among its prisoners due to starvation, disease, and lack of medical care.

History

The camp was initially set up as a prisoner of war camp for French prisoners of war in 1940. In 1943, parts of it became a concentration camp under the administration of the SS. Bergen-Belsen was different from other camps as it was designated as a holding camp for Jews who were to be exchanged for German prisoners of war or for money. However, as the war progressed, the camp's population swelled with prisoners from other camps, resistance fighters, Roma, and others deemed undesirable by the Nazi regime.

Conditions and Deaths

The conditions in Bergen-Belsen were horrific. Overcrowding, lack of food, poor sanitation, and absence of medical care led to rampant disease and a high death rate. By 1945, the camp held more than 60,000 prisoners, far exceeding its capacity. In the weeks before the camp's liberation, thousands died of typhus, typhoid fever, and malnutrition.

Liberation

Bergen-Belsen was liberated by British forces on April 15, 1945. The liberators found over 10,000 dead bodies throughout the camp, and many of the survivors were in critical condition. The British forced local German officials and civilians to bury the dead in mass graves. The camp was so disease-ridden that it was burned down shortly after its liberation to prevent the spread of typhus.

Aftermath

After the war, a Displaced Persons camp was established near the site of the concentration camp, which operated until 1951. The Bergen-Belsen Memorial, established in 1952, commemorates the lives lost at the camp. Trials were held in which former camp officials and guards were prosecuted for war crimes.

Legacy

Bergen-Belsen has come to symbolize the horrors of the Holocaust and the Nazi regime's brutal concentration camp system. The camp's liberation received significant media coverage, bringing the atrocities of the Nazi camps to the forefront of international consciousness. Notably, Anne Frank and her sister Margot died in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, just weeks before the camp's liberation. Their deaths and posthumously published diaries highlighted the personal tragedies of those who suffered and died in the camps.