A couple of weeks ago, I visited a photographic exhibition of some friends in the southern part of the Netherlands! When I am driving south, I always pas the town of Vught! And every time I think by myself that I have to visit the National monument camp Vught! And today, on my way back from the photo exhibition, it was time to do so!
As it was called by the German occupation forces! This camp was the only SS concentration camp outside Nazi Germany during the second world war! The build has started in the year 1942 because the other two concentration camps in the Netherlands, the so called transfer camps, where full and that's why they started building a new camp! When the first "prisoners" arrived, the camp wasn't finished jet! The prisoners had to finish the camp them self's! They dug a tranche along the entire camp and build a watch tower every 100 meter! The whole camp was 1 km long and 350 meters wide! The camp was financed by having the prisoners work in the surrounding factories! Also money for the camp was brought in by the German looting bank Lippmann, Rosenthal & Co. (*wiki) or Liro for short! They used the assets of Dutch Jews who were deported to other concentration camps all over Germany!
The camp nowadays is a modern museum totally divide to the war and especially the camp it self!
There are many information plaques were the educate you about the whole war!
There is also an audio tour for young and old! Survivors of the camp tel you all about the terrible conditions under which they have lived there!
There are many personal items and pictures on display from the people who stayed in the camp!
Like this duffel bag from a train conductor!
Personal note books and in the back the letter that all Jews in the Netherlands got! The letter told them where and when to report! It also stated what kind of things they could and could not take with them!
An original uniform that all the prisoners must wear! The red triangle was the symbol all political prisoners had to wear! There were many different symbols in the camps! Like the star of David for the Jews, the a pink triangle for all gay people, and a black triangle was for 'anti-social elements'. These included work refuses, conscientious objectors, prostitutes, alcoholics, and many incapable of work because of mentally illnesses. Gypsies were initially also given a black triangle because 'their behavior and culture that isolated them from society' were also seen as anti-social, but later on the got a brown triangle! green triangle were the criminals, The purple triangle was worn by Jehovah's Witnesses. Some Free Bible Students and Seventh-day Adventists also received a purple triangle! And a blue triangle was for the immigrants!
An original picture of a group of political prisoners!
Every prisoner had to be photographed for the administration!
This is a model of the camp as it was after the prisoners were done building it! The ereal picture shows the barracks where they imprisoned the Jews!
This part of the camp is completely restored as it was! The concrete posts witch held the barbed wire, are the original posts who stood around the whole camp!
This is a reconstruction of one of the barracks, and they consisted of three parts!
When you entered, there were the toilet and the washing chamber on the left!
The first room on the richt was the living area! Thee were not enuogh banchas and tabels fo everyone to sit on!
And the sleeping area, mattresses made out of jute bags filled with straw!
This gate is one of the original entrances of the camp! In the back, the big wall, is one of the highly secured prison of the Netherlands! I have my toughs about that!
This building is original and restored completely to its original state! It is the crematorium of the camp! There is also a autopsy room and a small prison cell!
The autopsy room!
Two incinerators and a mobile incinerator for when there were too many dead people!
This is the back of the building! The big squarer in the garden is were the Germans dumped all the asses that came out of the ovens!
All the time that I was there I felt very sad! And at some part I just let it go and cried! Now writing this is making ma sad to!
I will continue this storie tomorrow!
