Grostenquin France

Natzweiller-Struthof - Assorted Sources


Concentration Camp
Natzweiller-Struthof

[Map of Local Area]

This map shows the locations of Schirmeck, Rothau and Natzweiller.


The camp at Struthof, officially called "Konzentration lager Natzwiller" is situated in Alsace and has been classified as a "Historical Monument". It is located southwest of Strasbourg France, some 5 miles from the Rothau station, on a summit of the Vosges, 2,500 feet high with an often cold and misty climate. When the weather is bright, one can see the Donan mountain.

The camp was inaugurated in May 1941, when 300 German prisoners were brought there. They lived in temporary blocks situated near the Struthof Hotel, about half a mile from the present location of the camp. Those prisoners carried on their bac from the farm all the materials necessary for the first blocks, made all the earthwork and the construction. As soon as blocks number 1, 2 and 3 were finished, the number of prisoners went up to 800 (Germans).

A total of 14 additional blocks were constructed between 1941 and 1944. These were used for a number of functions such as, to house the inmates, an infirmary, and to conduct various experiments. On the whole, 7,000 to 8,000 prisoners were living in the camp.

Until the crematorium was finished in October 1943, the dead persons were incinerated in a mobile crematorium placed near the farm. One month later, the showers were put up in the same block. The chamber used for the gas experiments was placed outside the camp, near the farm in a building near the hotel. The date when it began working is impossible to tell, but it is known that during the summer of 1943, it was used regularly. It was there that during the summer of 1943 particularly, some Jews, men and women, coming from Auschwitz, were "treated" with gas before they were killed.

The camp was evacuated by the SS in September 1944 as Allied troops approached.



Click on the description text to view the photograph.
  1. Assorted historical detail of the Concentration Camp.
    Courtesy As Indicated.

  2. Monument - May 1964.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  3. Main gate/entrance to the camp - May 1964.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  4. Larger image of the main gate/entrance to the camp - May 1964.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  5. Map depicting what remains of the camp - May 1964.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  6. Postcard image of the main street in the nearby village of Schirmeck - August 1959.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  7. Aerial photo of the remains of the camp at Struthof - August 1962.
    Courtesy Len Sturch.

  8. Overview of the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  9. Our family at the main gate of the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  10. The main gate at the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  11. Another view of the entrance to the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  12. Double fence around the perimeter of the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  13. Double fence around the perimeter of the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  14. Double fence around the perimeter of the camp - June 1957.
    Courtesy Allan Bowes.

  15. Remains of the gas chambers - July 1956.
    Courtesy Jerry Cairns.

  16. Map of the camp in its former state - 10 October 1955.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  17. The National Cemetery of Deportation - June 1955.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  18. Assorted photos of the camp - June 1955.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  19. Assorted photos of the camp - June 1955.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  20. Assorted photos of the camp. - June 1955
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  21. The Struthof Camp Commander's house - July 1954.
    Courtesy Claude Bernier.

  22. The swimming pool at the Camp Commander's house - July 1954.
    Courtesy Claude Bernier.

  23. The crematorium - July 1954.
    Courtesy Claude Bernier.

  24. The gallows at the camp - July 1954.
    Courtesy Claude Bernier.

  25. Remains of the original buildings - July 1954.
    Courtesy Claude Bernier.

  26. Rejeanne Bernier in front of the camp - July 1954.
    Courtesy Claude Bernier.

  27. View of the Camp at Struthof with the Vosges mountains in the background. It should be noted that this photo depicts most of the buildings which were used to house the inmates - June 1953.
    Courtesy Jacques Nadeau.

  28. World War II photo of inmates returning from work. The six carrying the box have an inmate who died on the job - June 1953.
    Courtesy Jacques Nadeau.

  29. A drawing of the crematorium at Struthof - June 1953.
    Courtesy Jacques Nadeau.

  30. The gallows - April 1953.
    Courtesy Ren L'Ecuyer.

  31. Royal Air Force aerial photo of the camp - 19 July 1944.
    Courtesy Musee de Struthof.



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Updated: August 5, 2004