Situated at the top of Poland, Stutthof was the first concentration camp outside of Germany. It was a place of great suffering. The camp held men, women and children including Polish, Jewish, communist and other dissidents. Teachers were some of the first people imprisoned by the Nazis when they invaded Poland.
Out of about 110,000 inmates, 85,000 were murdered by the Nazis. Many died from starvation and illness, others were gassed and incinerated. It is said many of the people weighed less than the german shepherds guarding them when they died.
Near the end of the war, with the Soviet army approaching, 50,000 inmates were lead on a forced march towards Germany. This became known as the 'Death March'. Over 25,000 people perished, including 4,000 that were forced into the Baltic, then machine gunned.
The camp was also infamous for providing bodies to 'Dr' Rudolf Spanner who made PJS - 'Pure Jewish Soap' from their fat. For this act of unimaginable cruelty Spanner escaped any consequences through the Nuremburg trial process.
The camp now presents a very detailed account of what happened there during World War Two. It is a place of silence, respect and remembrance of the victims. The camp was bombed by the Soviets so many of the buildings have gone.
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| Nazi officers' quarters, built by the prisoners |
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| The shoe collection |
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| A view of the gas chamber. In addition to this building train wagons were also converted to gas chambers to hasten the killing. |
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| Modern memorial containing human ashes. |
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| A photo of teachers being arrested in Gdansk. Both these gentlemen were later imprisoned in Stutthof and executed. |
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