"We often ate grass." The history of the Penig subcamp for women
Adult education centre: Lecture on 27 January, from 7 to 8.30 p.m., TIETZ, event hall
On Friday, 27 January, from 7 to 8.30 pm, the Chemnitz Adult Education Centre is hosting an event on the history of the Penig women's subcamp as a contribution to the International Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Holocaust, which takes place annually on 27 January. On this evening, the Penig citizens' initiative "Gesicht zeigen" will report on the results of research into the history of the camp and present the initiative's associated active remembrance work.
Participation in the event is free of charge. Registration is possible online at www.vhs-chemnitz.de/kurs/W2210160 or by telephone on 0371 488-4343.
In the summer of 1944, a barrack camp was set up near Penig as a satellite camp of the Buchenwald concentration camp. From January to April 1945, it was used to house 703 female forced labourers. These women were Hungarian Jewish women who were deported from Budapest to Penig via the Ravensbrück women's concentration camp. Here they had to perform forced labour for a branch factory of Junkers-Werke Dessau. After the majority of the women were driven on a death march in April 1945, American troops discovered the camp and liberated the women who had been left behind.
Since 2015, the Penig citizens' initiative "Gesicht zeigen" has been researching the history of the camp and keeping the memory of the women concerned alive - including on information boards and with the publication of a brochure.