During World War II in Bolesławiec two affiliated German Nazi concentration camps existed in Gross-Rosen – AL Bunzlau I and AL Bunzlau II. According to Alfred Konieczny, the subcamp AL Bunzlau I was established in May 1944, and AL Bunzlau II – in October 1944 and both were male-only[1.1].

AL Bunzlau I was established on the basis of the former labor camp for the Jews. On the first of May 1944, as one of the first in the Lower Silesia Region, it was transformed into a concentration camp. Prisoners were used to work in a wood industry – in the Hubert Land company, they produced wooden barracks and plane models. The evacuation of the camp had taken place from 10 to 11 of February 1945. A column of 541 prisoners after a few weeks of marching arrived at the Mittelbau-Dora concentration camp, were their transport was refused. Next the decision of further evacuation was made. Prisoners were loaded on open carriages and they went to Bergen-Belsen. How many prisoners from the Gross-Rosen sub-camp were alive by the time they reached Bergen-Belsen, and how many were released from the camp by the English Army on the 15th of April 1945 is a mystery. In the camp in Bolesławiec about 120 prisoners, who were incapable of marching, had been left behind. They had stayed there until the Soviet Army arrived[1.2].

The work of the Bunzlau II camp was connected with the aircraft industry, and prisoners’ job was to assemble the “Wieseler Flug” military planes, which took place in factory buildings of the “Spinerei und Weberei-Concordia” company. The evacuation of the camp started on 11th of February 1945. The place of destination was Nordhausen, and a group of prisoners reached there in 15th of March 1945. Only 440 people from the sub-camp in Bolesławiec made it[1.3].

Bibliography:

• Filie obozu Gross-Rosen, [in:] Muzeum Gross-Rosen w Rogoźnicy [online], http://www.gross-rosen.eu/historia-kl-gross-rosen/filie-obozu-gross-rosen/ [accessed: 12.06.2020].
• Konieczny A., AL Bunzlau I i AL Bunzlau II – filie KL Gross-Rosen w Bolesławcu, Wałbrzych 2004.
• Konieczny A., KL Gross-Rosen – hitlerowski obóz koncentracyjny na Dolnym Śląsku 1940–1945, Wałbrzych 2006.
• Olszyna R., Aslau i Bunzlau, [in:] KL Gross-Rosen. Wybór artykułów, Wałbrzych 2005.
• Olszyna R., KL Bunzlau I, [in:] KL Gross-Rosen. Wybór artykułów, Wałbrzych 2005.