An American Economist in Gdansk: Our local concentation camp

Earlier this week, Ben and I traveled to Stutthof, the WW2 concentration camp for the Gdansk area. It holds a few special designations. It was the first concentration camp to be set up (2-September 1939) and the last to be liberated (9-May-1945). During those years, 85,000 died on its grounds.

There is a big memorial at the end of the camp which reminds everyone that this camp was “built by people, for people”. So keep that in mind as you read my details.

As noted in my previous blogs, Gdansk holds the distinction of receiving the first shots of WWII (1-September 1939). The Nazis quickly invaded the city and needed a place to hold their political (Polish) prisoners. Most of the prisoners were not military, but rather community leaders like priests and teachers.

Stutthof Concentration camp is located about 30 KM outside of Gdansk, but it takes an hour to get there on a bus. It is literally in the middle of the woods. Beginning on the night of September 1st 1939, anyone who the Nazi’s felt would be a threat to them were either shot on site or sent to Stutthof. Over 110,000 people were sent to Stutthof during the war years. Many from Gdansk and its surrounding area.

I have learned something new as I have visited a few WWII camps. First is the difference between a concentration camp and an extermination camp. A concentration camp is built as a prison or work camp. An extermination camp is where people (i.e. Jews) were sent for the sole purpose of being put directly to death. At the height of the war, Central and Eastern Europe were dotted with both concentration and extermination camps. Most were on Polish soil, and most we have never heard of.

My family and I visited the very famous Auschwitz-Berkinow back in the fall. Auschwitz, particularly in its later years, functioned mainly as an extermination camp. Meaning as people came off the train- they were immediately marched from the train platform directly into the gas chamber. Millions died at Auschwitz, many living less than a day after they arrived at the camp.

Stutthof was a little different. It was set up to hold prisoners and have them conduct work for German industry. So, most who came to Stutthof were sent to be held and worked- not necessarily immediately exterminated. Now, there was an exception. Stutthof also had gas chambers (like Auschwitz). If a prisoner was a mother with children, pregnant, or old or weak- they were of no use to the Germans and were sent right from the train to the gas chambers. Others deemed strong would be put to work. Stutthof’s large death toll was largely came from working people to death, or death by the elements or disease.

We were told the story about how word began to spread about what was occurring to the people being taken to these small brick buildings (the gas chambers)- so the prisoners started to resist. With old ladies- they were told they had jobs in the next town as seamstresses. The old ladies happily got on the train for their job. The train would circle the camp twice and the tracks eventually went right into a modified gas chamber. They were gassed while sitting on the train. (They had a couple of the old train cars still at the camp).

Train car used for the gassing

Working conditions were brutal. They worked 12 hours per day M-Sa and 8 hours on Sunday and holidays. The work was very physical. For example, they would have to cut down trees, then instead of having mules to pull the heavy carts- they used the prisoners as the mules. Falling on the job, getting sick, or not working fast enough would earn you a beating on the “billy”. It was administered in public, before dinner. Many died during the beatings. However if a prisoner died during the beating- the Nazi SS guard would still continue to carry out all the strokes sentenced.

This is "billy"

People slept on the floor on blankets. The blankets sat on hay, which was infested with mites, lice and all kinds of vermin. So, as you can imagine all prisoners were also infested. There was usually not enough room for everyone to lay down at the same time- so they would take turns sleeping. As many died from disease as from work or murder. Typhus was a major epidemic. Many were buried, but as 85,000 died at this somewhat small camp- they began to use the infamous crematoria and cremated. The crematoria survives to this day.

Given the hard work and brutal expectations- prisoners were barely keep alive. No heat and little food. They were given about 800 calories a day; a fraction for a normal person to survive. Although the camp was included in the Jewish final solution- and did have Jews- it was never set up to do the mass exterminations like Auschwitz. That said, a fare share of Jews did die at the camp. However, most of its prisoners were non-Jewish Poles.

Ironically, as you enter the front area of the camp you see this big beautiful house. It was for the Nazi Camp Commander. He lived there with his family. They told us his kids played in the yard and the wife cooked and hung laundry- like a normal family- while all this brutality was occurring less than 100 yards behind them.

As mentioned, prominent members of Gdansk society were held; including the pastor, Bronisław Komorowski, from the church we have been attending this year in our neighborhood. He was taken from his church on Sept 2nd, and later executed. A memorial stands at our church- and he even has a memorial at the Stutthof camp along with the other priests and nuns murdered.

As the Russians started to get close to the camp in 1945- the Nazi’s knew they needed to retreat, but they decided the prisoners had to go with them. Although most were frail- they were expected to walk from the Stutthof camp and retreat into Germany with the Nazis. If the labor did not kill them, the walk did.

After the war, a number of the victims that had been buried (including Bronisław Komorowski) were exummed and reburied in a special cemetary that is only 50 yards from our front door. The headstones each have the vicitims name and "Murdered at Stutthof Camp".

I have now been to several concentration and extermination camps. Although the stories really do not change- I am still always surprised and numb when I hear them and see the physical reminders. So the message at the end of the camp is the strongest. How could people build and operate this to inflict on other people?

Some other photos of the camp.

Chickens now control the railroad tracks leading into the camp.