Sereď concentration camp
| Sereď | |
|---|---|
Slovak Jews | |
| Number of inmates | 4,463 deported |
| Liberated by | Red Army |
Sereď was a labor and transit camp built during
History
Labour camp ("the first Sereď")
Government Decree no. 198/1941, dated 9 September 1941, concerned the legal status of Jews. Known also as "The Jewish Codex", the order stripped all
The camp consisted of several manufactories, which produced joinery products, toys, clothing, and other goods. It was guarded by the Hlinka Guard, and from March 1944 by the Slovak gendarmerie.[2] During the first wave of deportations from Slovakia, the camp served as a temporary detention center for deported citizens.
In total, 4,463
Concentration camp ("the second Sereď")
In September 1944, Sereď was transformed into a concentration camp with an SS guard under the command of Bratislava German Franz Knollmayer. The new contingent of SS soldiers proceeded to commit major atrocities against the prisoners, including torture, rape (though this was frowned on as a violation of racial hygiene laws), and murder.[4] By the end of September, Knollmayer had been replaced by Alois Brunner, who had a mandate to finally resolve the "Jewish question" in Slovakia.[3]
Sereď became the main concentration camp for a second wave of deportations. In separate parts of the camp were imprisoned soldiers of the Slovak insurrectionist army, partisans, and people accused of supporting the uprising. Brunner organized 11 train transports, which deported prisoners to
Legacy
Sereď Holocaust Museum
The labour and concentration camps in Sereď form a national cultural monument of the Slovak Republic. It is the only preserved camp complex of its kind in Slovakia (Nováky and Vyhne were not preserved). The Sereď Holocaust Museum located in the camp contains exhibits related to Jewish culture, life in the camp, and the Holocaust.[6][7]
References
- ^ Beránek 2016, p. 50.
- ISBN 978-3-86331-503-0.
- ^ a b c Beránek 2016, p. 51.
- ^ a b Konečný 2016, p. 48.
- ^ Beránek 2016, p. 52.
- ^ Vrzgulová, Monika. "Cultures of History Forum : Only a Beginning: The Sered' Holocaust Museum in Slovakia". www.cultures-of-history.uni-jena.de. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
- ^ "New Holocaust Museum in Slovakia: Sered | CEU Podcasts". podcasts.ceu.edu. Retrieved 2020-03-19.
Bibliography
- Beránek, Matej (2016). "Pracovný a koncentračný tábor v Seredi". Historická revue (in Slovak). 3.
- Konečný, Martin (2016). "Alois Brunner a jeho úloha v procese likvidácie európskych Židov". Historická revue (in Slovak). 3.
Further reading
- Hlavinka, Ján; Nižňanský, Eduard (2010). Pracovný a koncentračný tábor v Seredi 1941-1945 (in Slovak). Bratislava: DSH, Dokumentačné Stredisko Holokaustu. ISBN 978-80-969857-3-9.
- Nešťáková, Denisa, (2019) “The Jewish Centre and Labour Camps in Slovakia In Between Collaboration and Resistance” in Papers from the 21st Workshop on the History and Memory of National Socialist Camps and Extermination Sites, eds. Karoline Georg. Verena Meier, and Paula A. Opperman. Berlin: Metropol, 117-145.
- Nestakova, Denisa (2021). "„Privileged" Space or Site of Temporary Safety? Women and Men in the Sereď Camp". Places, Spaces, and Voids in the Holocaust. Wallstein Verlag. pp. 313–322. ISBN 978-3-8353-3952-1.