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Concentration camps appeared at the beginning of the XNUMXth century. However, most correlate this terrible phrase with the events of the Second World War. But fascist regimes, even at the dawn of their formation, began to resort to terrible practices – objectionable authorities were brought to such places. Behind the perimeter of barbed wire one could find oneself for one’s race, faith, political beliefs, social status. In order to support people who did not escape the difficult fate, and also not to forget about the terrible phenomenon, the International Day for the Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps was founded. We tell the history and traditions of the memorable date.
When is International Day for the Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps celebrated?
An event has a fixed date − 11 April. This is a memorable date not only for Our Country, but for the whole world: in 2023, the International Day for the Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps will be celebrated in dozens of countries.
History of the memorable date
April 11 was chosen for a reason – the date is associated with the events in the Buchenwald death camp. It was located in Germany, not far from the border with the Czech Republic. The ominous inscription “To each his own” was engraved on its gates. Former prisoners of the concentration camp in their memoirs said that they had been preparing for an uprising for a long time, the resistance had been accumulating strength for several years.
In April 1945, the remnants of the Nazi army were pressed from all sides. Just from the direction of Buchenwald was an American division. The commandant’s office of the camp decided to evacuate. The last word should have been written in quotation marks, because in fact it was a death march – an exhausting march on foot, during which many prisoners died.
The leaders of the resistance realized that it was time to act, otherwise there might not be a next chance. The Pole Gvidon Damazin and the Konstantin Leonov transmitted a radiogram on April 8 and asked for help from the advancing Americans. Those signal caught and promised to come to the rescue. However, everything dragged on for several days. During this time, the rebels started a mutiny and captured most of the concentration camp. On April 11, 1945, at 3:15 pm, American soldiers finally entered Buchenwald and liberated the remaining sections of the camp.
A year later, during the Nuremberg trials, where the actions of the Nazis and fascists were analyzed, the concentration camps were recognized as a crime against humanity. Later, the UN decided to hold the International Day for the Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps on April 11 in memory of the events in Buchenwald.
Traditions of the International Day for the Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps
The Buchenwald death camp has been turned into a memorial complex. The main commemorative events are held on its territory. On the eve, banners are hung up in the surrounding cities with a reminder of the approaching memorable date. Flowers are brought to the camp fence, and notes are also left. The museum operates a memory fund, which annually gathers prisoners and soldiers who took part in the liberation.
On the International Day for the Liberation of Prisoners of Nazi Concentration Camps, commemorative events are held around the world. Various foundations and organizations that are engaged in the preservation of historical memory arrange the laying of flowers and wreaths at the burial places of the victims of fascism.
There are fewer and fewer witnesses of those terrible events, juvenile prisoners of concentration camps have survived to this day, but today they are over 80 years old.
Museums where you can learn more about the crimes in Nazi concentration camps
According to the US Holocaust Memorial Museum, in the 40th century there were about XNUMX camps and other places of detention for prisoners of fascist regimes. Most have been destroyed, but the largest ones have been turned into museums.
Dachau. Located half an hour from Munich. Only one barrack survived, in which the prisoners were kept. But he alone is enough to feel the evil aura of this place. Free admission. You can join a paid tour in English or take an audio guide in .
Auschwitz-Birkenau. In Our Country, it is better known under the name Auschwitz. This is the name of a city in Poland, next to which the largest death camp was located. He was the first to be liberated by the Soviet army. The museum has been operating here since 1947. Free admission. However, during the tourist season they are allowed only with a guided tour, as there are many who wish. There are -speaking guides.
Museum of Sorrow. This is a historical reconstruction of the Finnish concentration camps for juvenile prisoners in Karelia. Built at the end of 2020 in the Kondopozhsky district.
Maidanek. Located near the Polish Lublin. Here, in 1953, the world’s first monument to the victims of the Holocaust was opened. There was an original crematorium, gas chambers, barracks, a fence, watchtowers. Free admission.
Illuminate. The village of the same name in the Gomel region of Belarus. A memorial has been erected at the site of the camp, and in the village itself there is a museum in memory of the victims.
Salaspils. Located half an hour from Riga near the town of the same name. Here the Wehrmacht troops kept juvenile prisoners. In the XNUMXth century, a memorial ensemble was created here – the largest in Europe. Travelers can walk along the concrete “road of death”, which symbolizes the suffering of the victims of Nazi crimes, see the sculptures and the recently opened museum exhibition. Admission is free, but you can sign up for a guided tour.