Ravensbruck

Ravensbruck was the largest concentration camp for women. It was second in size to the womens concentration camp in Auschwitz. The first prisoners to be confined at Ravensbruck were 900 women. In January of 1945 there were over 50,000 prisoners mostly whom were women. The prisoners came from 30 different countries most of whom came from Poland. Along with the SS guards there were mostly women guards that worked at Ravensbruck. The first commander of the Ravensbruck camp was SS Colonel Günther Tamaschke. Ravensbruck contained over 18 barracks for the prisoners. By January of 1945 the barracks became so over crowded that there was a large typhus outbreak that spread throught the entire camp.Sixty transports left Ravensbruck with 60 to 1,000 passengers which were sent to the Hartheim killling center; others they sent to Auschwitz. In 1942 prisoners at Ravensbruck had to undergo medical experiments. The SS doctors experimented with treating wounds and bone transplants. Close to 80 women were selected to undergo these experiments ; most of them were Polish. Most of the women died from the experiments and those that lived suffered severe physical damage. During the year of 1942 many brothels were opened up. Most of the women that supplied the brothels came from Ravensbruck. There is an estimation that over 92,000 women died at Ravensbruck.