1914-1918

This largest of all the camps functioning in Lamsdorf, as far as its area is concerned, was established in August 1914. There were POWs – both privates and non-commissioned officers of the armies of the Entente – who were interned here. The majority of them were soldiers of the Russian, Romanian, Italian, Serbian, French, British and Belgian Armies. In total, there were about 90 thousand POWs detained here, which ranked the Lamsdorf camp as the eighth largest POW camp in Germany that functioned during World War 1.

The POWs were accommodated in six sub-camps, four of which were built from scratch (the so-called Lager III, IV, V and VI). Initially, the soldiers staying there were provided with fairly good living conditions; however, with time – because of the worsening economic situation in Germany and defeats of the German Army at the front – the conditions changed for the worse. All the POWs were obliged to work: either developing the very camp itself, or outside it  – in the local industry and agriculture. In their spare time the interned soldiers practiced sports, took up painting and drawing, played music, pursued religious practices. Although the War had already ended, the POWs stayed in the camp until 1920. About 7 thousand of them did not manage to survive in the captivity. The dead were buried in the Old POW Cemetery.