Bretstein was a subcamp of

Mauthausen concentration camp Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen, Upper Austria, Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with List of subcamps of Mauthausen, nearly 100 further ...

located in

Bretstein Bretstein is a former municipality in the district of Murtal in the Austrian state of Styria. Since the 2015 Styria municipal structural reform, it is part of the municipality Pölstal. Geography Bretstein lies in the Niedere Tauern The Lower T ...

(near

Judenburg Judenburg ( bar, Judnbuag) is a historic town in Styria, Austria. It is the administrative centre of the Murtal district, which was created on 1 January 2012 from the former Judenburg District and former Knittelfeld District. Until 31 December ...

, in the upper part of

Styria Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...

) was associated with the SS-owned operation ''Deutsche Versuchsanstalt für Ernährung und Verpflegung GmbH'', which administrated three working farms in Bretstein since 1939. Concerning this regard it was the basic aim to investigate different methods of operations for agriculture, which should have been used for the purpose of the so-called ''Germanisierung'' in

Eastern Europe Eastern Europe is a subregion of the Europe, European continent. As a largely ambiguous term, it has a wide range of geopolitical, geographical, ethnic, cultural, and socio-economic connotations. The vast majority of the region is covered by Russ ...

. During June 1941 the camp was constructed by the first prisoners, who were sent from the concentration camp

Mauthausen Mauthausen was a Nazi concentration camp on a hill above the market town of Mauthausen (roughly east of Linz), Upper Austria. It was the main camp of a group with nearly 100 further subcamps located throughout Austria and southern German ...

. The concentration camp in Bretstein was an external camp of the concentration camp in

located in

Upper Austria Upper Austria (german: Oberösterreich ; bar, Obaöstareich) is one of the nine states or of Austria. Its capital is Linz. Upper Austria borders Germany and the Czech Republic, as well as the other Austrian states of Lower Austria, Styria, a ...

, which directed about more than 50 external camps. In Bretstein, at least 170 prisoners were locked up in four barracks, which were surrounded by huge fences and some watchtowers. The prisoners, who were Republic Spaniards, Spanish and German members of

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

, have been guarded by up to 50 members of the SS unit ''Totenkopfsturmbannes Mauthausen'', who treated them barbarously. They were forced for road works and functioning in the range of agriculture. As a result of the situation within the camp, many attempts to escape were arranged. The remains of seven former caged inmates can be found at the local cemetery in Bretstein. The concentration camp in Bretstein was closed on 25 June 1943.

References

*Perz, Bertrand: Das KZ-Außenlager Bretstein. In: Heimo Halbrainer, Michael Schiestl (ed.): „Adolfburg statt Judenburg“. NS-Herrschaft: Verfolgung und Widerstand in der Region Aichfeld-Murboden. Graz 2011, 111–119 * Maršálek, Hans: Die Geschichte des Konzentrationslagers Mauthausen. Hrsg.: Österr. Lagergemeinschaft Mauthausen. Wien 1995.

External links

*http://www.gedenkstaette-bretstein.at/ *http://www.mkoe.at/ *http://www.mkoe.at/lokalgruppen/steiermark *https://web.archive.org/web/20070927192804/http://www-gewi.uni-graz.at/staff/feenstra/ {{DEFAULTSORT:KZ - Nebenlager Bretstein Nazi concentration camps in Austria The Holocaust in Austria