War cemetary concentration camps Neuengamme, Borgermoor, Esterwege, Neusustrum.

History of the camps.
During the 1933-1945 periode the NAZI regime ran 15 camps in the Bentheimm/ Emsland area.
These camps were run by SS and the justice department.
In these camps all "enemies" of the state were imprisoned, jews, political prisoners, deserters of the army and later POW's.
Forced labor, clearing explosives and torture were the order of the day.
In the prewar era over 80.000 people suffered there during their stay, later more than 100.000 POW's were housed in the various camps.
Of those POW's the majority were Russians, over 35.000 of them were killed.
They were buried in 9 places scattered throughout the area. The pictures above are from a memorial site dedicated to the Jewish victims of the camps.
There are no accurate figures how many people survived here because many were transported to other camps, death camps or died while being on the move.
After the war the camps were used to house ex forced laborers. Later other refugees from mainly the USSR joined them.
All camps have been demolished, most areas have been transferred into rural area or farming grounds. In some areas like Esterwegen a prison was build.

Esterwegen, camp.

Esterwegen was build for political prisoners in the summer of 1933.
From 1934 to 1936 it was under direct control of Himmler. Himmler disbanded the camp and moved the prisoners to Sachsenhausen, among those prisoners was Carl von Ossietzky. ( nobelprice winner 1935)
In 1937 the army took over the camp to imprison deserters of the Wehrmacht and soldiers who were sentenced by courtmarshialls.
In an other part ( Lager Sud) resistance fighters and other members of the various underground movements were held. (Nacht und Nebel gefangenen)
After the war the British army used the camps to lock up warcriminals and other Nazi criminals.
During 1953 and 1959 the Geran government used the camps for refugees from Eastern Germany.
in the 60's the camps houses were finally disbanded and demolished.
The terrain was used by the Bundeswehr logistic services untill 2005.

Memorial site.

Today two barracks of the Bundeswehr have been transferred into a museum/memorial site.
Both barracks are connected by a newly build foyer.
Its a symbol of the camps to commemorate what happened there and to remember the victims.
In the barracks are an information centre, a library and a restaurant.