SS-Sonderlager Mysen, also known as Mysen concentration camp
Since the Grini prison camp soon became overcrowded with prisoners, it was decided to establish a camp that would serve as a replacement for the concentration camps in Germany. The SS was given the responsibility of building and running what was planned to be a new concentration camp - the first in Norway. This was added to Mysen, and the Momarken racecourse near the city center was chosen as a suitable location.
Grini, and the three other Sipo-SD prison camps in Norway for Norwegian political prisoners, were Polizeihäftlingsläger. This means that the prisoners there were imprisoned for an indefinite period, but in practice those prisoners who were intended to remain in captivity for a long time in the future were eventually sent on to concentration camps in Germany.
Throughout 1944, the prison population in Norway increased. After the prisoner ship "Westfalen" was sunk, it turned out that surviving Norwegian prisoners who were rescued ashore in Sweden bore signs of torture. The Swedish government then submitted a formal protest to Berlin and demanded that the prisoner transports to Germany cease. The German authorities complied with this demand. Since Grini prison camp soon became overcrowded with prisoners, it was decided to establish a camp that would function as a replacement for the concentration camps in Germany. The SS was given responsibility for building and running what was planned to be a new concentration camp - the first in Norway. This was built at Mysen, and the Momarken racecourse near the city center was chosen as a suitable location.[1]
Here, four "German barracks" had already been built in 1940 to accommodate soldiers. They had eventually been taken over by Russian prisoners of war. This was intended to become the core of the new camp. In January 1945, SS-Sturmbannführer Hans Aumeier was brought in as commander and responsible for the construction of the camp. It was planned to accommodate approximately five thousand prisoners, and according to the latest guidelines for similar camps in Germany and German-occupied areas, including with its own crematorium. Aumeier had extensive experience with such camps, including as deputy commander in Auschwitz. He brought with him a number of officers and non-commissioned officers from the SS who had extensive experience from Auschwitz and a number of concentration camps.
Work on the concentration camp itself began in February 1945. On March 13, between 350 and 400 prisoners were transferred from Grini to Momarken, and construction work began. Construction was halted by Germany's capitulation on May 8, after which Aumeier and his men went into Oslo to take cover. The prisoners were allowed to return home, and the barracks remained empty until the end of May. Aumeier was arrested on June 1 and was extradited to Poland by British authorities, where he was tried and executed.
The camp was used as a transit camp for Soviet prisoners of war. These came from prison camps in northern Norway, and they were sent home during June. In July 1945, the Norwegian authorities took over the camp under the name "Mysen foreign camp". The camp was used for Polish displaced persons, mainly young people who had been drafted for labor service in Norway. The camp was run by the UN organization UNRRA and housed Polish citizens for almost two years. Among these residents were the parents of jazz musician Jan Garbarek, who was born here. The Poles moved out in May 1947. That same year, Norway accepted just under 500 Jews from the continent and about 300 of these were accommodated at Momarken. Many of these traveled on to Israel when the state was established in 1948.[2] Soon after, the camp was officially closed, but many Jewish families continued to live in the barracks. They also became temporary housing for homeless Norwegian families. The barracks were gradually demolished in the early 1950s.
Today, all traces of the concentration camp have been erased. The parts of the Momarken racecourse that were demolished during the construction of the camp were rebuilt after the war.
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