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The Stutthof Concentration Camp was the first Nazi camp built outside of Germany and was the last camp liberated by Allied forces. It lies 34km outside Gdansk and was the place of death for 85,000 people according to official figures, although the actual number killed is assumed to be much greater. Originally a small prison for Poles and P.O.W’s, the camp would become the site of some of the worst atrocities of the war.
Between 1939 and 1945, 127,000 prisoners were officially registered in the camp, but those who were immediately singled out for execution were not registered at all, so there is no way of knowing the exact number of people brought to Stutthof. The camp was managed by an SS officer named Max Pauli, who would later be sentenced to death for the crimes committed here. 
While there was a gas chamber here, as well as a number of wagons which were converted into gas chambers, the most shocking and disturbing facility was invented and operated by a man named Rudolf Spanner. He had discovered a way to use the fat of murdered prisoners in the production of soap, and hundreds of victims of the Stutthof camp were used to make ‘Reines Judische Fett’ or ‘pure Jewish fat.’ After the war, Spanner escaped arrest, despite the severity of his crimes.
Finally liberated on May 10, 1945 by the Soviet Army, the camp was shut down and its prisoners were released. People from 26 different nations had been kept there, a testament to the scale of the Nazi war effort.
Today there is a museum at Stutthof, open Monday through Friday from May 1st until September 30th: 8:00 - 18:00, and from October 1st to April 30th from: 8:00 - 15:00, with free admission. On Mondays there are no guide services, and no film shows. It should also be noted that, in accordance with Polish law, children under the age of 13 are not admitted.
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 | | "i heard that this camp made soap from people's fat... i feel disgusted as to how the nazis could do this" | gabe baglan
United States
Sep.18.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "I'm not sure what "John" meant when his review said "I loved it". This is a testament to man's inhumanity to man. Maybe the Polish government should reverse its policy about no children under 13 permitted. This lesson should be learned as early as possible in life. " | Gerald Silverman
Canada
Aug.04.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "Having visited stutthof last week(30th may 2008)I felt obliged to encourage anyone who gets the chance to visit the camp and pray that we can make sure that this murder and humiliation never again be allowed to happen.Poland is a beautiful country and the polish one of the friendliest nations i have met." | david everton
United Kingdom
Jun.01.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "it was a sad time for everyone . i hope that it will never happen agian.there needs to be more information on this page." | katie shoulders
United States
Mar.28.2008
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "i loved it " | john
United States
Mar.06.2008
rates this page 5/5 |
| | "I visited the camp in September 2007. I was also aware of the silence and the lack of birds, however I was struck by the amount of butterflies, especially those flying in pairs. Each time I went into one of the huts I experienced nausea and headaches. The museum is a reminder of all those who suffered and are still suffering. May we never forget." | Patricia Mullen
United Kingdom
Jan.31.2008
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "I remember upon entering the camp in 1986, the immediate sickly feeling in the base of my stomach,i also recall the eerie silence,no birds were singing all you could hear was wind russtling in the trees.You could feel the dead around you, welcoming you in.To this day i remember it all as if it was yesterday." | lucy komorek
United Kingdom
Dec.28.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
| | "There is so little written about Stutthof concentration camp that it is nice to see that it is being mentioned. My stepfather was born in this camp, so we have visited on several occasions. Each time is striking. We should support these museums so that this history will never be wiped away and forgotten!" | Sandra Rath
United States
Nov.15.2007
rates this page 4/5 |
| | "this place is a must see if you have any thoughts for those who perished" | clifford hardie
United Kingdom
Nov.06.2007
rates this page 3/5 |
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