First Jewish prisoners in KL Auschwitz -Jawischowitz, 74th anniversary of creating subcamp of Auschwitz complex. 15th of August 1942r. To the german nazi subcamp of KL Auschwitz, created in a small village Jawischowitz next to Brzeszcze, comes from the main camp Auschwitz first transport of 150 inmates. These were jewish prisoners. We do not know if anyone from this first group survived to the liberation.
In September 1942r. Amount of inamtes rose to 500, and in July 1944there were more than 2500 prisoners. As to quantity of inamtes, Jawischwoitz was the biggest of all subcamps of KL Auschwitz, and as for harsh conditions and exhausting labor in the mine it was also one of the hardest. Prisoners were mostly Jewish, from countries such as: Poland, Hungary Italy, France, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Russia, Germany, Belgium and many other countries from all over occupied Europe. Minority in the camp sustained of non-jewish prisoners. In 1900 at the area of Brzeszcze village dr Arnold Rappaport initiates search for coal, in 1903 first coal mine is set up in Brzeszcze, and it stars work in 1907. After the first world war the mine is taken over by the government and becomes only one national coal mine in the pre-war Poland, that state continues to September 1939. After the aggresion of Germany on Poland the mine becomes annexed by german authorities, and in 1940it is renamed „Staatliche Kohlengrube Steinkohlenbergwerk Brzeszcze Schachtanlagen Brzeszcze und Jawischowitz” becoming a part of concern „Bergwerksverwaltung Oberschlesien der Reichswerke //HERMAN GORING//”.
At the beginning concern employs civilian workers, next, in the early 1942 they want to expand employment by forced labor workers, for whom the mine builds at the specified area in Jawischowitz village a workers camp with wooden barracks. In the outcome of ongoing at the time talks between HGW concern and Main Economy and Administration Office of SS, they have resigned of quartering the forced labor workers in favor of using as cheap work force prisoners from KL Auschwitz camp. In mid 1942 the area comes under command of SS authorities from KL Auschwitz and becomes ready for the first prisoners. It is the first case of employing as a cheap work force to work underground prisoners from german nazi concentration camps.
We also may not forget about the citizens of Brzeszcze and vicinity, as well as about the miners from Brzeszcze mine, who despite the harsh occupation time conditions tried to help the prisoners however they could, altough it was punished by the occupant with death, both for our brave fellow-countrymen and for their families.
In 2007 authorities of Brzeszcze municipality decided to take of original leftovers after Jawishowitz subcamp, among others building of camp waschroom and original lamppost from call area. At the end of that year conservational works on the building have been finished, and there was a ceremony of opening the building in which took part local government and many VIP’s
Since the end of conservational works as for bidding of the local government we have been taking care of these objects socially, and after creating our Foundation we filed a request to hand them over to Foundation, what happened in the early 2014.
Today coal mine in Brzeszcze functions under name Nowe Brzeszcze and is a part of Grupa TAURON Sp. z o.o. Under management of board chairman Mr Zdzisław Filip. Both earlier post-war and today’s managements take care about the historyof our coal mine, with particular underlining its history of occupation time and tragic fate of prisoners, who, being employed there, become casualties of harsh, exhausting work and conditions in the camp KL Auschwitz- Jawischowitz.
On photos original geodetic border posts with Herman Goring Werke logo made by hand out of granite, each measuring about 60cm height. These are probably the only known border posts of this type from the area of german nazi concentration camp. In the years after the war these have been removed by locals for many purposes at their farms. Our Foundation managed to reclaim them and now they are in our collection, these can be seen at the exhibition in the original historical building of camp washroom that is under the care of our Foundation.
