Neufahrn commemorates the liberation: Lecture on concentration camp subcamps in 1945!

Neufahrn commemorates the liberation: Lecture on concentration camp subcamps in 1945!

On Tuesday, July 8th, the Neufahrn Local History and History Association invites you to an insightful lecture by Ernest Lang. Under the title “End of the War in 1945 and the Concentration Camp Subcamp on Dietersheimer Straße” he will report on the events surrounding the end of the Second World War and the liberation of the concentration camp prisoners in Neufahrn. The lecture will take place at 8 p.m. in the Maisberger restaurant and entry is free.

For many in Neufahrn, April 29, 1945 is a crucial date. On this day, not only did Nazi rule end, but also the painful existence of around 500 concentration camp prisoners as well as around 120 prisoners of war and forced laborers in the region. These prisoners were forced to do forced labor in a subcamp of the Dachau concentration camp that was set up a few days before the liberation.

The concentration camp subcamp and its history

In the last weeks of the war, specifically on April 10, 1945, prisoners from Dachau were brought to Neufahrn in order to build an airstrip for German interceptors on the Garchinger Heide. This precarious situation reflects the desperation of the Nazis, who at this point were already struggling against impending defeat. The prisoners lived in terrible conditions in a camp with 18 wooden barracks that was built in a former gravel pit on Dietersheimer Strasse.

The local memory of this time is kept alive by the memorial that Pastor Otto Steinberger inaugurated on May 1, 2017. The memorial stele, which was erected by the Neufahrn local history and history association, commemorates the 500 prisoners who were imprisoned there. The campaign took place in collaboration with churches, the community as well as local companies and associations. Steinberger, who himself witnessed the events, reported on his childhood memories of the camp and his interactions with the prisoners.

A depressing memory

The memorial is located at Dietersheimer Straße 56, the place of liberation by the Americans 70 years ago. The property owner, a water utility association, made the site available for this necessary memorial. Mayor Franz Heilmeier and District Administrator Josef Hauner were also present at the inauguration. Heilmeier spoke of the “crazy plan” to establish a concentration camp subcamp shortly before the end of the war, while Ernest Lang discussed the long suffering of the prisoners.

The fates of the prisoners in the concentration camp subcamps vary greatly, as do the conditions under which they lived. These were often characterized by extreme malnutrition, violence and dangerous working conditions. In a desperate attempt to sustain the war effort, prisoners were used for construction work, agriculture, and even military production. The Neufahrn camp is an example of the atrocities and human tragedies that were committed in many places during this dark time.

Today, in the shadow of these events, remembering the victims is not only important but also necessary. Ernest Lang's lecture will certainly help to keep the awareness of the events of that time alive and to stimulate a deeper examination of history. Visitors are warmly invited to engage with the region's dark past and learn lessons for the future.

For further information see the articles from South German newspaper, Mercury and Wikipedia recommended.