Disinfection building

This building was used during the entire existence of the concentration camp in order to “disinfect” people from lice. New prisoners in the camp had to take “a bath” for a certain period of time. Only then they were considered “clean”. In other concentration camps too, a similar procedure was used.

On a regular basis, “lice inspections” were conducted: prisoners, often standing on a chair, had to line up before the KAPO's. These commanders then examined the prisoners with or without a stick. These inspections, however, were totally superfluous, then everyone in the camp had lice. This examination was just another degrading game of the KAPO's. Prisoners were very lucky when they did not get any beating.

Prisoners who lived in the same barracks had to be disinfected after the inspection by lying in an shallow bath with (cold) water for one day and one night. The ultimate goal of this all was just to exhaust and taunt prisoners. Older and enfeebled prisoners mostly did not survive this ordeal.

When the number of prisoners continued to increase, the function of the building changed: prisoners were housed there. The “shower” was then used to disinfect prisoners.

bron: KZ-Gedenkstaette Flossenbürg

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