Prisoner of War Camp Soltau

The Soltau camp was the largest German prisoner-of-war camp during World War I and in fact consisted of two adjacent camps, with a total of more than 70 barracks. The two camps were surrounded by one fence but separated by an access road behind the main gate. Most of the Belgian prisoners of war ended up in this camp.
The camp was built in the winter of 1914-1915 on the territory of the hamlet of Friedrichseck and had more than 70 barracks. The first prisoners had to sleep under the open sky for a few weeks. After that, they were given temporary shelter in a driving school. In the meantime, tents were set up. These tents were destroyed by a heavy storm a few weeks later, so that the prisoners had to sleep under the open sky again. At the beginning of 1915, Belgian prisoners of war were also moved here from the camp in Münster. From then on, the prisoners were also requisitioned for all kinds of chores. For example, the toboggan run in the Soltauer Böhmewald was built by the prisoners of war. In addition to tasks in nearby factories, they were mainly used for the reclamation of the heathland. Some prisoners came as employees to farmers in the area, where they were treated better and also given more to eat.

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