Concentration camps Lety and Hodonín
Encyclopedia
The concentration camp in Lety
was a World War II
internment camp for Romani people (Gypsies) from the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia on July 10, 1942.
The construction of a camp near the village of Lety
(in Písek District
) started on July 17. The location was picked because nearby forests, owned by the House of Schwarzenberg
, had been devastated by a storm. The first twelve prisoners arrived on July 17, 1940. The camp consisted of several large and small wooden barracks, and were surrounded by a wooden fence. Josef Janovský was named commandant. Czech gendarme
s (četníci) guarded the places (service in such camps was considered a disciplinary punishment). Similar forced labor camps existed in Planá nad Lužnicí, Mirošov
, Hradišťko and other places; (mostly Czech) prisoners were typically used for hard labour such as road construction. In total, around 50,000 people went through such labour camps during the war. The total number of prisons and camps of all kinds established by Nazis within the boundaries of modern-day Czech Republic
was 2,125 (František Nedbálek, Místa utrpení a vzdoru, Prague 1984).
, ordered the collection of statistics about "Gypsies, mixed Gypsies and people with gypsy style of life". Around 6,500 people were recorded in these statistics (based on older records and often on skin color).
On July 10, general Horst Böhme, Chief of Security Police, ordered Romani to be moved into two camps: Lety for Romanies from Bohemia
, Hodonín
for those from Moravia
.
Internees worked on logging trees, road building and on neighbouring farms. The food was meagre and the rations decreased over time. During winter, internees were not provided sufficient clothing. Brutality on behalf of the guards was common. A typhoid epidemic started in December 1942 and did not recede until the camp was closed in May 1943. Commander Janovský was recalled for inability to deal with the epidemic and replaced by Commander Blahynka.
The first transport with 94 people to Auschwitz left on December 4, 1942, and a second followed with 417 people on May 14, 1943. Most of the remaining prisoners were sent to the camp in Hodonín.
Guard Josef Hejduk was accused of torture
, and former prisoners accused him of several murders. He was acquitted in 1947; the witnesses were not deemed trustworthy due to their criminal records. Harsh treatment was explained by the "need to deal with dangerous criminals." Guard Josef Luňáček, also accused of torture, was found guilty of a minor offense and punished with an official warning (důtka).
The Chief of Police in the Protectorate, Friedrich Sowa, was sentenced to 10 years for crimes that included extermination of Romani. The decision was later overturned, since he was acting on Himmler's
orders, and he was expelled from the country.
was annihilated and the new ones, who came from Slovakia
and Romania
, had no knowledge of this tragedy. During the 1970s, a large factory pig farm was constructed near the site of the Lety camp. A tourist hotel has been built on the site of the Hodonín camp.
In 1970s and 1980s, Czech historians, notably Prof. Ctibor Nečas, researched and described the persecution of Roma during the Nazi occupation, including the camps in Lety and Hodonín.
In 1992 the book Black Silence
by Paul Polansky
compiled historical records and testimonials of survivors. The book started heated discussions in the Czech Republic about Czech relations to the Romani and their history.
The most recent book on Lety is 1997's And No One Will Believe You by Markus Pape. One review noted:
Romani activists picked the pig farm as a symbol of the Czech stance toward the Romani, insisting it is a source of shame for the country internationally. They have repeatedly asked the government to relocate the farm. Their efforts gained further attention by a resolution of the European Parliament
in 2005 asking the Czech Government to remove the farm. Opponents have criticized the massive cost of the farm's relocation, and insisted it has no impact on the actual life of the Romani people. They claim that the real intention of the activists is to extort money from the state and that the farm's removal would lead to a worsening of already tense relations between ethnic Czechs and Roma
. In both 2005 and 2006, the Czech government announced its intention to buy and liquidate the farm, but has recently decided against it.
In 2005, an exhibition of historical photographs and documentation entitled Lety Detention Camp: History of Unmentioned Genocide was held in the European Parliament and toured cities in Europe.
More recently, organizations in the Czech Republic such as the Committee for the Redress of the Romani Holocaust, Dzeno Association, and Romea are working to keep the issue alive and defend the site from right-wing extremist political demonstrations.
at the site of the former Lety concentration camp to reflect its opinion that it was a labour camp. The stone and plaque were immediately removed by the local authorities.
(texts in English)
Lety (Písek District)
Lety is a village and municipality in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 285 ....
was a World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
internment camp for Romani people (Gypsies) from the so-called Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia
The Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia was the majority ethnic-Czech protectorate which Nazi Germany established in the central parts of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia in what is today the Czech Republic...
during the German occupation of Czechoslovakia on July 10, 1942.
Background
On March 2, 1939, (two weeks before the German occupation), the Czecho-Slovak government ordered that a labor camp be set up for "people avoiding work and living off crime" (at the time labour duty was mandatory).The construction of a camp near the village of Lety
Lety (Písek District)
Lety is a village and municipality in Písek District in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. The municipality covers an area of , and has a population of 285 ....
(in Písek District
Písek District
Písek District is a part of the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. Its centre is Písek. It has around 70,000 inhabitants and area of 1,138.13 km². People density is 62 heads per 1 km². In this region we can find 71 villages and 5 towns...
) started on July 17. The location was picked because nearby forests, owned by the House of Schwarzenberg
House of Schwarzenberg
-History:The family was first mentioned in 1172. A branch of the Seinsheim family was created when Erkinger I of Seinsheim acquired the Franconian barony of Schwarzenberg, the castle Schwarzenberg and the title Baron of Schwarzenberg, in 1405–21. At this time, they also possessed some fiefdoms in...
, had been devastated by a storm. The first twelve prisoners arrived on July 17, 1940. The camp consisted of several large and small wooden barracks, and were surrounded by a wooden fence. Josef Janovský was named commandant. Czech gendarme
Gendarmerie
A gendarmerie or gendarmery is a military force charged with police duties among civilian populations. Members of such a force are typically called "gendarmes". The Shorter Oxford English Dictionary describes a gendarme as "a soldier who is employed on police duties" and a "gendarmery, -erie" as...
s (četníci) guarded the places (service in such camps was considered a disciplinary punishment). Similar forced labor camps existed in Planá nad Lužnicí, Mirošov
Mirošov
Mirošov is a town in Western Bohemia, the Czech Republic , 7 km southeast of Rokycany, 457 m. above sea level. Mirošov is located on the Skořický potok Stream that is joined by Příkosický potok Stream in the town's territory. In the east large forested complex of Brdy hills begins, its highest...
, Hradišťko and other places; (mostly Czech) prisoners were typically used for hard labour such as road construction. In total, around 50,000 people went through such labour camps during the war. The total number of prisons and camps of all kinds established by Nazis within the boundaries of modern-day Czech Republic
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
was 2,125 (František Nedbálek, Místa utrpení a vzdoru, Prague 1984).
As Labor camps
During 1940, 233 persons were sent to Lety, of whom 197 had previous criminal records. During 1941, the numbers were: 537 persons, 498 with previous criminal records, and 45 persons labeled as Gypsies. There were 27 escape attempts with 25 escapees caught. The prisoners were forced to do hard work in a quarry, were treated harshly and the sick lacked medicine. Many guards, including commander Janovský, were regularly stealing food from the camp stores, further reducing meager rations for the prisoners.Situation of Romani people in the Protectorate
Starting in 1940, Romani were forbidden to travel. In 1942, the measures already in force in Germany were applied in the Protectorate as well and, as an immediate result, a few hundred people deemed "asocial" were deported to Auschwitz. On June 24, 1942, the Protectorate Minister of the Interior, Richard BienertRichard Bienert
Richard Bienert was a Czechoslovakian politician. He served as Prime Minister of Czechoslovakia from January 19, 1945 to May 5, 1945, under the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia...
, ordered the collection of statistics about "Gypsies, mixed Gypsies and people with gypsy style of life". Around 6,500 people were recorded in these statistics (based on older records and often on skin color).
On July 10, general Horst Böhme, Chief of Security Police, ordered Romani to be moved into two camps: Lety for Romanies from Bohemia
Bohemia
Bohemia is a historical region in central Europe, occupying the western two-thirds of the traditional Czech Lands. It is located in the contemporary Czech Republic with its capital in Prague...
, Hodonín
Concentration camp Hodonin
The concentration camp in Hodonín was a World War II internment camp for Romani people from the Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia .- Background :...
for those from Moravia
Moravia
Moravia is a historical region in Central Europe in the east of the Czech Republic, and one of the former Czech lands, together with Bohemia and Silesia. It takes its name from the Morava River which rises in the northwest of the region...
.
As 'Gypsy' camps
All pre-existing prisoners at Lety were released or transferred, except for 19 Romani already imprisoned. On October 2, 1942, the first new internees arrived. The capacity of the camp was soon exhausted. Even though new buildings were constructed, the site continued to be overcrowded. Some internees were able to secure their release by bribing officials in Prague.Internees worked on logging trees, road building and on neighbouring farms. The food was meagre and the rations decreased over time. During winter, internees were not provided sufficient clothing. Brutality on behalf of the guards was common. A typhoid epidemic started in December 1942 and did not recede until the camp was closed in May 1943. Commander Janovský was recalled for inability to deal with the epidemic and replaced by Commander Blahynka.
The first transport with 94 people to Auschwitz left on December 4, 1942, and a second followed with 417 people on May 14, 1943. Most of the remaining prisoners were sent to the camp in Hodonín.
Overall numbers
The records are generally considered incomplete and all figures can be considered minimums:- Compilation of existing data gives a total of 3,500 prisoners interned in the camp
- 3500 deaths (estimate), including all children born in the camp
- Over 500 deported to Auschwitz
Extermination at Auschwitz
During the course of the war, a total of 4,831 Romani from the Protectorate were sent to Auschwitz. Of those, few survived. Estimates vary, but well over 4,000 Romani died there.Lety
After the war, several trials of Lety camp personnel began. Commander Janovský was jailed and charged in 1945. The investigation was stopped in 1946 but restarted in 1948. Both guards and former prisoners gave testimony about his brutality and theft, but Janovský was acquitted.Guard Josef Hejduk was accused of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, and former prisoners accused him of several murders. He was acquitted in 1947; the witnesses were not deemed trustworthy due to their criminal records. Harsh treatment was explained by the "need to deal with dangerous criminals." Guard Josef Luňáček, also accused of torture, was found guilty of a minor offense and punished with an official warning (důtka).
The Chief of Police in the Protectorate, Friedrich Sowa, was sentenced to 10 years for crimes that included extermination of Romani. The decision was later overturned, since he was acting on Himmler's
Heinrich Himmler
Heinrich Luitpold Himmler was Reichsführer of the SS, a military commander, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. As Chief of the German Police and the Minister of the Interior from 1943, Himmler oversaw all internal and external police and security forces, including the Gestapo...
orders, and he was expelled from the country.
Forgotten and Rediscovered History
After the war, the existence of Romani camps was practically forgotten outside the Romani community, except by specialized historians. The whole community of Czech RomaniRelations between ethnic Czechs and Roma
The Roma people , commonly known as Gypsies , constitute a minority in the Czech Republic. According to the last census from 2001, only 11,746 persons declared themselves as Roma. But the actual number is much higher, estimated at 200–300,000 people...
was annihilated and the new ones, who came from Slovakia
Slovakia
The Slovak Republic is a landlocked state in Central Europe. It has a population of over five million and an area of about . Slovakia is bordered by the Czech Republic and Austria to the west, Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east and Hungary to the south...
and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
, had no knowledge of this tragedy. During the 1970s, a large factory pig farm was constructed near the site of the Lety camp. A tourist hotel has been built on the site of the Hodonín camp.
In 1970s and 1980s, Czech historians, notably Prof. Ctibor Nečas, researched and described the persecution of Roma during the Nazi occupation, including the camps in Lety and Hodonín.
In 1992 the book Black Silence
Black Silence
Black Silence is a book by American author Paul Polansky, dealing with the testimony of the survivors of the Lety concentration camp in today's Czech Republic....
by Paul Polansky
Paul Polansky
Paul Polansky is an American author and activist working for the rights of the Roma people in Eastern Europe and the Balkans. He has also lived with Roma for the past ten years in Eastern Europe, collecting their oral histories and writing several books about their lives in the Czech republic and...
compiled historical records and testimonials of survivors. The book started heated discussions in the Czech Republic about Czech relations to the Romani and their history.
The most recent book on Lety is 1997's And No One Will Believe You by Markus Pape. One review noted:
Previous studies of the Romani Holocaust in Czechoslovakia have, as Pape suggests, rejected survivors’ memories of extermination, executions, murders and rape carried out by the commandant and his guards, and have claimed that the camp did not function as an extermination camp. Such claims are joined to the assertion that survivors have, with the passing of time, confused what they saw with their own eyes in the camp. At the same time, previous studies have concluded that state documents exclude the possibility of such crimes having been committed. Pape succeeds, with this volume, in demonstrating that the state documents themselves not only support, but actually go further than, the eye-witness accounts; the idea that Lety really was an extermination camp is the first of the two main theses of the book... The second thesis of the book is that the camp at Lety operated with a certain independence from the Reich and erratic control from Prague.
Political symbolism
The existence of the camps (or, more precisely, that they were guarded by Czech policemen and the existence of the privately-owned pig farm near Lety) quickly became a very powerful symbol in Czech politics. Some politicians, starting with minister Vladimír Mlynář, tried to appeal to the conscience of the population; some warned of "rewriting history in name of political correctness" and "artificial planting of guilt into public opinion." The issue started to attract minor political groups seeking to receive media attention.Romani activists picked the pig farm as a symbol of the Czech stance toward the Romani, insisting it is a source of shame for the country internationally. They have repeatedly asked the government to relocate the farm. Their efforts gained further attention by a resolution of the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
in 2005 asking the Czech Government to remove the farm. Opponents have criticized the massive cost of the farm's relocation, and insisted it has no impact on the actual life of the Romani people. They claim that the real intention of the activists is to extort money from the state and that the farm's removal would lead to a worsening of already tense relations between ethnic Czechs and Roma
Relations between ethnic Czechs and Roma
The Roma people , commonly known as Gypsies , constitute a minority in the Czech Republic. According to the last census from 2001, only 11,746 persons declared themselves as Roma. But the actual number is much higher, estimated at 200–300,000 people...
. In both 2005 and 2006, the Czech government announced its intention to buy and liquidate the farm, but has recently decided against it.
In 2005, an exhibition of historical photographs and documentation entitled Lety Detention Camp: History of Unmentioned Genocide was held in the European Parliament and toured cities in Europe.
More recently, organizations in the Czech Republic such as the Committee for the Redress of the Romani Holocaust, Dzeno Association, and Romea are working to keep the issue alive and defend the site from right-wing extremist political demonstrations.
Lety Stone
A commemorative stone, with a plaque, was erected by the small far right party the National PartyNational Party (Bohemia)
The National Party is a far-right nationalist political party in the Czech Republic. Petra Edelmannová is the current leader of the party. They are strongly opposed to Czech membership of the European Union...
at the site of the former Lety concentration camp to reflect its opinion that it was a labour camp. The stone and plaque were immediately removed by the local authorities.
External links
(texts in Czech language)- Details of Lety camp, bibliography
- Details of Hodonín camp, bibliography
- Lety: short overview, schema of the camp, photo
- Hodonín: short overview, schema of the camp, photo
(texts in English)
- Government not to liquidate pig farm in Lety - Dzeno Association News