Before the end of the war, the Soviet secret police set up special camps in the eastern territories of the German Reich. These camps were disbanded by February 1946, and their prisoners were distributed to the special camps in the Soviet occupation zone.
A total of ten camps were set up in the Soviet occupation zone. They were located in existing buildings from the Nazi era, such as barracks, prisons or former concentration and prisoner of war camps. The Soviet occupying power dissolved most of the special camps by 1948. Only Special Camp No. 1 in Oranienburg, No. 2 in Buchenwald and No. 3 in Bautzen remained in existence until 1950.
Some of these camps were eventually closed, repurposed or merged with other camps. For example, Special Camp No. 7 Weesow was incorporated into Special Camp No. 7 Sachsenhausen in summer 1945.
This order regulated the operation and surveillance of the Special camps.
Barracks in the Special Camp Funfeichen, between 1945 and 1948. ©Stadtarchiv Neubrandenburg
The photo was taken from a watchtower by an employee of the Soviet camp administration.
