History of Sorts

Flossenbürg concentration camp was one of the many Nazi concentration camps established during World War II. Located in Bavaria, Germany, near the Czech border, Flossenbürg was built in May 1938 and primarily functioned as a forced labor camp. Over its seven years of operation, the camp housed thousands of prisoners, many of whom perished due to inhumane conditions, forced labor, and mass executions. Today, Flossenbürg serves as a somber reminder of the horrors inflicted during the Holocaust and stands as a memorial to the victims who suffered there.Approximately 100,000 prisoners passed through Flossenbürg and its subcamps. Tragically, around 30,000 lost their lives due to malnutrition, forced labor, executions, or the brutal death marches.

Establishment and Purpose

Flossenbürg was initially designed to hold political prisoners, criminals, and so-called “undesirables” as defined by the Nazi regime. The camp’s location was strategically chosen for its proximity to granite quarries, which the SS sought to exploit for construction projects. Over time, the camp expanded its prisoner demographic, including Jews, Roma, homosexuals, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and prisoners of war from various nations. By the war’s end, over 100,000 individuals had been imprisoned in Flossenbürg and its subcamps.

Conditions and Forced Labor

Life in Flossenbürg was brutal. Prisoners were subjected to grueling forced labor under extreme conditions. The granite quarries demanded backbreaking work, and those unable to keep up were often beaten or executed.

As the war progressed, the camp also became involved in arms manufacturing, particularly for Messerschmitt aircraft production.

Food rations were scarce, leading to widespread malnutrition and disease. Sanitary conditions were abysmal, contributing to the spread of typhus and other illnesses. The combination of exhaustion, malnourishment, and disease resulted in a high mortality rate among inmates.

Atrocities and Executions

Beyond forced labor, Flossenbürg was also a site of mass executions. Many prisoners were killed outright, either by shootings, hangings, or in gas chambers. One of the most infamous executions at Flossenbürg was that of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a German theologian and anti-Nazi resistance fighter. Bonhoeffer, along with several other conspirators involved in the failed July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, was executed just weeks before the camp’s liberation.

Liberation and Aftermath

In April 1945, as Allied forces advanced into Germany, the SS began evacuating Flossenbürg, forcing thousands of prisoners on death marches to other camps. Many did not survive these brutal forced marches. On April 23, 1945, U.S. forces liberated the camp, finding only a few thousand prisoners who were too weak to be evacuated. The horrors discovered at Flossenbürg added to the overwhelming evidence of Nazi atrocities, leading to war crime trials against SS personnel and collaborators.

Legacy and Remembrance

Today, Flossenbürg stands as a memorial and educational site dedicated to remembering the victims and educating future generations about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust. The Flossenbürg Memorial Site includes preserved sections of the camp, a museum, and a cemetery where many victims were laid to rest.

The legacy of Flossenbürg serves as a reminder of the depths of human cruelty, but also of the resilience of those who suffered. By remembering these dark chapters in history, society can strive to prevent such atrocities from happening again.

Flossenbürg concentration camp was a place of immense suffering and loss. As one of the many sites of Nazi persecution, it played a significant role in the tragic history of the Holocaust. Through continued education and memorialization, Flossenbürg remains a powerful testament to the importance of remembering the past to build a more just and humane future.

Margaretha Schoemaker-Lisser-One of Flossenburgs victims

Margaretha Lisser, born on March 19, 1908, in Amsterdam, was the daughter of Alexander Lisser and Vogeltje Cohen. She was married to the non-Jewish Marinus Schoemaker. Together, they took part in the resistance, sheltering people in hiding in their home. At a certain point, they had to go into hiding themselves. Along with Margaretha’s mother (Vogeltje Lisser-Cohen) and her brother (Meijer Lisser), they found refuge on Gierstraat in Haarlem.

During this period, Margaretha gave birth to her third child. While out on a walk, the family was arrested. They were sent via the police station and the prison in Haarlem: Margaretha’s husband and children were taken to Vught, while she was sent to Westerbork. She was deported on the last transport to Auschwitz. From there, she was transferred to Flossenbürg, where she perished.

Her husband survived several camps and was reunited with their children after the war.

Margaretha also had a brother, Marcus Lisser, who did not survive the war either.

sources

https://www.joodsmonument.nl/nl/page/32046/margaretha-schoemaker-lisser

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/flossenbuerg

https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/tijdlijn/55f4e511-e97c-4419-b005-1c13dd7bc757

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flossenb%C3%BCrg_concentration_camp

https://www.jewishgen.org/forgottencamps/camps/flossenburgeng.html

https://www.holocaust.cz/en/history/concentration-camps-and-ghettos/flossenbuerg-2/

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