Subcamp Auschwitz Bor/Budy

Subcamp Auschwitz Bor/Budy, located around 7 kilometers away from the main camp. One and only such place in the history of Kl Auschwitz complex. One and only external penal subcamp for women, created in June 1942. In October of the same year 6 kapo inmates murder more than 90 prisoners, mostly French Jews in building attic. Commendant Rudolf Hoss initiates internal investigation. Investigation concludes: no more external companies. Hoss himself then classifies documents and the situation, most events remain an unsolved mystery of the camp complex to this day.

It is 1941, Auschwitz camp has been now in use since June 1940, it calls for extensions. New subcamps, support network, and a large scale area of camp interests are created. In 1941 Budy subcamp is established, from the beginning intended for forced labor in the farming and in animal husbandry. Subcamp becomes recognized as one and only in the history of the camp external penal company for women. On 24th of June 1942 one of the prisoners escaped from the commando group working on the Sola river (one of the rivers surrounding the city of Oświęcim). As a crackdown, the remaining female prisoners were shaved and sentenced to remain in the disciplinary company of Budy. It was probably the first time in Auschwitz camp that women had their heads shaved. The prisoners become quartered in Brzeszcze-Bor, at specially created area, surrounded with double fence of barbed wire. Wires are not electrified, but very agressive SS dogs ran free between them. More than enough to keep female prisoners in the camp. 200 Poles become quartered in the building previously used as a school, around one hundred of them on ground floor the rest on the first floor. Another 200 female prisoners from France were located in the wooden barrack used as a stable for horses. Prisoners from that camp were forced to cut trees, clean and deepen fish ponds make bulwarks. SS guards watch over them during their work, as well they`re guarded by so called functional prisoners – German women – taken here from Ravensbruck camp. The working day began very early in the morning, ended very late in the evening. After dark, SS guards, men were not allowed to enter to the camp, SS authorities were afraid of acts of disgracing the German race by the contacts with female prisoners, there were even penalties for guards not obeying rules.

Not only hard slavery work, penalties were daily routine in penal company Budy, the camp was as well the scene of horrible massacre which took place at night 5th of October 1942. Later when investigation began, one of the functional prisoners, kapo told, she was sure one of the prisoners coming back from outside had a stone in her hand and was ready to kill her. In fact we don`t know for sure what was the reason of what was called later „Budy rewolte”. After announcing an alarm, SS guards from behind the fence began to storm inside the building and started shooting as well functional prisoners, kapo took axes, clubs and all agricultural equipment and the slaughter began. Prisoners inhabiting the ground floor were trying to go outside the building and hide in every possible place within the fence of the camp. Early in the next morning camp authorities were informed about events in Budy camp, so the commandant of Auschwitz camp, Rudolf Hoss immediately came to the place. Later in his diaries he described the whole situation as a very hard impression, a lot of flies everywhere on massacred female bodies, some of them very hard to recognise because they`re decapitated, even guards despite of being soldiers during the time of war, they didn`t see such cruelty before. The investigation done by camp Gestapo, so called Politische Abteilung, didn`t clear anything, almost all proves and reports were destroyed by Rudolf Hoss, functional prisoners, kapo were killed with injections of fenol to the heart (it was causing a strong heart attack) and SS guards involved sent to eastern front in Russia.

Penal company in Budy existed until March of 1943, later on the same place part of the female camp was established existing till January of 1945 when most prisoners of Auschwitz Birkenau complex were evacuated to other camps located behind the frontline, mostly inside Germany. Very often evacuation from Auschwitz Birkenau is called March of Death because majority of them died on the way due to low temperature, exhaustion and hunger but as well due to shooting, those ones who were not able to keep the rhythm of the march leaving behind were killed by SS guards escorting prisoners.

The building still exists housing today a small exhibition and learning path nearby, remainding those horrifying facts from the past time. A couple of years before,during restoration works some artifacts of everyday life were found, anyway you must see other places and exhibitions to have full view of this history, this one is only a small part of bigger story.

Our tour to Auschwitz-Birkenau

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