On the attic of pre-war school building, in which during the occupation were quartered female inmates from 1942 to 43 from Female Penal Company, and in the years 1943-45 women from Farauen Lager KL Auschwitz-Bór/Budy in Brzeszcze, we found an unusual finding from the time of camp existence.
During initial cleaning for future renovation works, which we want to procure in this building (all the time we are looking for funds to start and realise this project, so the site would be fully restored and open for public) in the debris beetwen bricks from the original floor (inmates were sleeping directly on the floor), a tiny, microscopic item was found. It was hidden there since the time of camp existence to this day.
It is a tiny, wooden inmates clog, excelentelly made miniature of typical camp clogs, so called „klump”
We do not know who made it, nor for whom it was meant. Maybe it was a form of a little charm, brooch, gift from one inmate to another. This would be proved by a piece of a little chain atached. Thanks to cooperation with workers of National Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau , we know that in the museums collection there are a few similar items also made as tiny gifts, that are mentioned in the prisoners testimonies.
The clog itself belongs to a few categories, it is form of camp art, which creation and posession by the prisoners was strictly forbidden (of course any art for the order of SS doesn’t count here). It is also a symbol of camp resistance, because neverminding repression and penalties, prisoners wanted to break every rule and show that they have still defended their dignity, and the third topic is prisoners solidarity and care, not only to survive together everyday life in he camp, but also to sustain hope, bit of freedom, in a form of such a small gift.
