Oranienburg concentration camp

KZ Oranienburg, 1933.

Oranienburg concentration camp was an "early concentration camp", one of the first detention facilities established by the Nazis when they gained power in 1933. It held the Nazis' political opponents from the Berlin region, mostly members of the Communist Party of Germany and social-democrats, as well as a number of homosexual men.

It was established in the center of the town of Oranienburg when the SA took over a disused factory (possibly a brewery). Passers-by were able to see inside the prison. Prisoners were marched through the town to perform forced labour on behalf of the local council.

The prison was taken over by the SS on 4 July 1934, when the SA was suppressed by the regime. It was closed and subsequently replaced in the area by Sachsenhausen concentration camp. At closure, the prison had held over 3,000 inmates, of whom 16 had died.

Other early concentration camps

• Breslau-Dürrgoy concentration camp in Wrocław, Poland^[1]
• Esterwegen concentration camp^[1]
• Kemna concentration camp^[1]
• Sonnenburg concentration camp^[1]
• Vulkanwerft concentration camp in the Bredow district of Stettin^[1]

References

• Meinel, Udo (2007). Memorial and Museum Sachsenhausen (visitor leaflet). Gedenstatte und Museum Sachsenhausen. 

See also

• List of Nazi-German concentration camps
• Standing cell
• Erich Mühsam

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Oranienburg concentration camp

Coordinates: 52°44′57″N 13°14′12″E / 52.7493°N 13.2367°E / 52.7493; 13.2367

This article related to Nazi Germany is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e