The laundry and the prisoners' bathroom

Initially, the kitchen, the laundry and the prison were one of the few stone buildings of KZ-Flossenbürg.

The prisoners' bathroom was located in the basement of the laundry. Prisoners were seldom allowed to the bathroom. In case the prisoners had to take a bath, then this was mostly on the pretext of “delousing”.

Prisoners were forced to the prisoners' bathroom and were usually given blows and were yelled at. They had to hand over their clothes, in order to be bumped under the showers completely naked.

Prisoners who bolted away from under the jets of water were driven back with whips or fire hoses. Seriously enfeebled or elderly people often died immediately and floated in the water.

After the shower prisoners were given back their deloused camp outfit and were compelled outside. Regardless of the weather conditions they had to put on their clothes outside while they ran back to the barracks. This was very often accompanied with strokes and curses of the supervisors.

New prisoners were also obliged to take a bath. They had to hand over all their personal belongings (clothes, rings, chains,…) and all body hair was shaved off with a (blunt) razor blade.

Next, they were forced under the showers, which were either too hot or too cold. In the end, they were given their uniform striped clothing and a number (which they had to sew on themselves). In this way, prisoners were deprived of their last remnants of humanity and SS-guards demonstrated their absolute power over the camp prisoners.

vertaling: Joke Lefevere