Großporitsch prisoner of war camp
The Großporitsch POW camp was established between Großporitsch and the Kleinporitsch Vorwerk on the edge of the Zittau airfield during the First World War .
As early as April 1, 1891, the area was used as a parade ground for the Royal Saxon 3rd Infantry Regiment No. 102, as the previous one on the imperial fields no longer met the demands.
In the first years of the war, a barracks settlement for prisoners of war was built, who were mainly used to build roads and paths in the area. By Russian prisoners u. a. the straightening of the steep section over the Sandberg between Dornhennersdorf and Seitendorf . For shopping inside the camp, the prisoners were given special paper money, which was used as the camp currency.
The commandant's office had a memorial stone erected in the camp for the deceased Russian and French prisoners, which is still preserved and looked after today.
From 1919 the prisoner-of-war camp served as a reception center for German prisoners of war who had returned from abroad as part of a prisoner exchange. After a brief further use as a transit camp for emigrants from the parts of the province of Poznan and Upper Silesia given to Poland under the Versailles Treaty, the demolition of the camp began in 1920.
After the city of Zittau had become a garrison town again in 1937, the construction of a new barracks for the 1st Battalion of the 52nd Infantry Regiment (from 1938 Infantry Regiment 103) began on the site, which remained unfinished due to the outbreak of the Second World War. The barracks were taken over by the Zittwerke in 1944 and completed as accommodation for the employees as well as camps for Eastern workers and concentration camp prisoners.
literature
- Tilo Böhmer / Marita Wolff: In the Zittauer Zipfel. Historical foray through Reichenau and its surroundings. , Lusatia-Verlag, Bautzen, 2001, ISBN 3-929091-85-2
Web links
Coordinates: 50 ° 53 ′ 30 ″ N , 14 ° 50 ′ 30 ″ E