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Established:
1944 The Bolanzo camp was established by the Germans late in 1943 or early in 1945. It housed up to 3,000 prisoners at a time, and Jewish inmates never numbered more than 20 percent. Beginning early in August 1944, most of the prisoners and staff of Fossoli were move there when that camp became "unsafe" when the front approached Modena. Bolzano was initially built to hold 1,500 prisoners (there was a block for women only and 10 huts for men) in an area covering 2 hectares, but was later enlarged to hold a maximum capacity of about 4,000 prisoners. They could rely on the Lager satellites (Bressanone, Merano, Sarentino, Campo Tures, Certosa di Val Senales, Colle Isarco, Moso in Val Passiria and Vipiteno).
The SS of Verona controlled the camp that was commanded by Lieutenant Titho and Marshal Haage who had already carried out similar "missions" at Fossoli. They recruited a garrison of Germans, South Tyroleans and Ukrainians (the latter, who despite their youth are sadly remembered for their brutality). Political prisoners, partisans, Jews, Romanies and allied prisoners constituted the majority of prisoners incarcerated in Gries. Among the women, there were many militant anti-fascists, Jews, Romanies, Slavs and the wives, sisters and daughters of the persecuted anti-fascists. Last but not least, there were the children of the Jews, Romanies and Slavs who had already been deported for racial motives.
An extremely active resistance organisation was present in the camp that had close outside contacts. Dozens of people rallied from within and outside the camp in an extremely dangerous attempt to give assistance to the deportees and in particular to those destined for the extermination camps. Hundreds of deportees were able by this means to get news from their families and food as well as clothing and money. This courageous attempt to assist the needy did not however come without its price: many of those who risked their lives to help were arrested, isolated and even tortured.
Between the 29th and the 30th April 1945 the prisoner received regular passes signed by the Camp's Commander and were accompanied in groups a few kilometres from the city to be set free. Between the end of April and the beginning of May 1945 deportees were progressively freed and the Lager eventually closed down. Meanwhile, the SS took flight having first destroyed practically all of the camps documents and thus the evidence of their heinous deeds.
Regretfully, there are almost no remaining
traces of the Bolzano camp. After demolishing the blocks and the cells,
several apartment complexes have been built. The Province of Bolzano has
placed under its guardianship a vast portion of the original encircling
wall, up to now almost intact. On
the side of the wall is shown the old opening with vehicular access from
which would transit the internees, compelled to forced labour in the
workshops set up in the immediate vicinity of the camp or in other
establishments in the Bolzano area. More on the Bolzano Camp:
Sources:
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Created: Thursday, August
30, 2001; Updated
Thursday, August 25, 2022 |
The camp resembled a German forced labor camp: on arrival the prisoners
had their heads shaved, were given prison clothes, and wore different
identification patches. Several transports were sent to Auschwitz,
Ravensbruck and Flossenburg. Owing to the hostility of the German South
Tyrolians, escape attempts were rare. On liberation in April 1945, some
800 inmates were still in the camp.
Living
conditions in the camps were appalling and certainly not eased by the
long, gruelling hours of forced labour. Numerous cases of torture and
assassinations were also recorded. In total no less than 11,116 people
passed through this camp (see-the fundamental research of Luciano
Happacher) and between the Summer of 1944 and February 1945 many were
transported to Ravensbrück, Flossenbürg, Dachau,
Auschwitz
and Mauthausen.
On
the 12 September 1944, 23 Italians were arrested at 4 o’clock in the
morning, taken to the Mignon Army barracks and shot to death. Others
died at the hands of the "jailers" notable among them were a couple of
brutal young Ukrainians. No fewer than 300 people died at Gries many of
whom were Jews.
