From February of 1942, a work camp for the Jewish women from Sosnowiec and Chrzanów and nearby was organized in Deutsche Wollenwaren Manufaktur AG in Zielona Góra. [look at picture no 33].The prisoners, there were over 400 of them in October 1942, were quartered in a building suitable for the prisoners in 33 Wrocławska Street. In 1944 the number of prisoners increased to about 1,000. The women worked in 12-hour-shifts and were responsible for operating textile machines and also did work having to do with sewing and textile industry [look at memoirs]. One of the prisoners said: Although only 90 pfennigs were allotted for each worker for food, the working conditions and dietary conditions were terrible. The women were allowed to correspond with the closest relatives and once a week receive a package of food, at least until they were under the job center’s management[1.1].

In April, 1944 the supervision over the camp DWM was taken over by the management of the concentration camp KZ Groß-Rosen. Since the camp was taken over by the SS, the living conditions and working conditions of women deteriorated. The women were forced to work in shifts, up to 14 hours per day. Jadwiga Gorzelanna said: Daily food rations consisted of 300 grams of bread and chicory coffee, at noon they served cabbage soup, and in the evening they served the rest of the bread and the rest of soup not eaten at dinner. We were hungry all the time[1.1.1]. Because of terrible conditions in the camp, ulcers and other illnesses spread. A young Jewish woman, Salka Koplowitz, died of tuberculosis in fall of 1944. Her body was wrapped in cloth. She was taken to the Jewish cemetery by cart and buried there. Another young Jewish woman, who was raped by a guard, was pregnant. She died in the camp a few days after child delivery. Her baby died as well. She was buried in the Jewish cemetery in Zielona Góra as well.

The tragedy of imprisoned women started in January, 1945, when along with Hungarian Jewish women from the camp in Sława (Schlesiersee I), who came to the camp on 28th January 1945, they started a march a day later. It was one of the longest and the most tragic marches of death of World War II. The women were divided into two groups. The Hungarian Jewish women and about 500 Polish ones were taken to Bergen-Belsen. After they arrived at Jüteborg, the women were taken to the camp by train[1.2]. The second group, which consisted of 400 Polish Jewish women and about 900 Jewish women from the camp in Sława (Schlesiersee II) were sent through Drezno and Saxonia to Helmbrechts in the northern Bavaria. The approaching American Army had an influence on the decision of SS that exhausted prisoners should march again. This time, in the southeastern direction. On the 5th of May 1945, the women who were extremely exhausted came to the town of Volary in the Czech Republic, which on the 5th of May, 1945 was liberated by American soldiers. About 275 women died or were killed in the period of 22 days, which made about 30% of women prisoners who went from Helmbrechts[1.3]. During the first stage of the march from Zielona Góra, there was heavy loss as well. The cruelty of the guards and nonsense of this march were symptomatic, and the march became a model example of similar behavior towards the end of World War II.

After the war, the former buildings of DWM [look at pictures no 34 and 35] were taken over by a factory “Polska Wełna”. Until 1999 there was a commemorative plaque on the administrative building of the factory which said: “ to commemorate Polish women from the outside camp KZ Groß-Rosen, the ones who were murdered by the Nazis in the years 1944-1945. The staff of “Polska Wełna. Zielona Góra”. The buildings have been taken over by a company from Warsaw, which is going to open stores and entertainment center “Focus Park” in the area of the former shop floors. [look at pictures no 36 and 37]. From the fall of 2007, the Lubusz Judaica Foundation holds talks concerning removing the plaque commemorating the fate of Jewish women, who were employed in DWM in the years 1942-1945. The new version of the text is as follows: ”Here in the former wool factory Deutsche Wollenwaren Manufaktur AG about 1,000 Jewish women and 180 Jews were made to forced work. From 1944 it was a branch of the concentration camp in Groß-Rosen. On the 29th of January, 1945 one of the longest marches of death of World War II started here. Several hundred of women did not survive this march”