Beneath our feet lies a chilling past. This is the site of Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal. It was a prisoner-of-war camp used by the Wehrmacht during World War II. The camp was near Rösrath, close to Cologne. Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal was not its official name. The official name was Arbeitskommando 281. It belonged to the Truppenübungsplatz Wahn training area.
The name Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal is thought to be cynical. There is indeed a district in Rösrath named Hoffnungsthal. However this district is a few kilometers away from here. The naming of the camp seems like mockery by the Nazis.
Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal was built on the former Wahn shooting range. It started operating as a camp in 1940. The buildings were built before World War I. They served different purposes over time.
Initially, French prisoners were held here at Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal. In May 1941 about 1,200 Poles arrived. They stayed until mid-1944. Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal became the main camp for Polish officers in Germany. Inmates came from at least eleven countries. Conditions worsened when Soviet prisoners arrived in late 1944. Food became scarcer. Torture and executions increased. One story tells of a man frozen to death. He was tied to a post and doused with water in January 1945.
The roof of Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal had large letters. They spelled POW which meant Prisoner of War. This marking likely saved it from bombing raids. Next to the camp was a military radio unit. They intercepted English radio communications.
Prisoners lived in simple wooden barracks. These barracks were barely heated. They were forced to work in nearby businesses. Some prisoners worked until they died. However work also allowed them to trade for food. But many were weak. They suffered from jaundice and diarrhea.
Many prisoners tried to escape Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal. Those caught wore blue French uniforms from World War I. They had a red cross or KG marking. This group was called the Blue Division. They were guarded closely. They only worked on the heath to prevent escape.
In September 1944 American soldiers were imprisoned here too. They had been captured in failed parachute attacks. On April 12, 1945 US troops liberated about 1,500 prisoners. Many Soviet prisoners faced a tragic fate. After returning home Stalin sent them to Gulags. Some were executed as traitors.
After the war Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal held German prisoners. Soon after it became Kinderdorf Pestalozzi. This was a children’s village for orphans.
Since 1950 the former camp buildings belong to Kinderdorf Stephansheide. It is run by Diakonie Michaelshoven. The Wahner Heide is now a nature reserve. An exhibition about Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal is here. It is in a building of the Kinderdorf. The Rösrath History Society created the exhibition. It opened in 1993. Former Polish prisoners attended the opening.
The former camp cemetery is now a memorial. It is called Ehrenanlage Kalmusweiher. One hundred twelve prisoners are buried there. Most were Soviet victims who died in the war’s final months. The memorial stone says they died from hunger, disease, and violence. It adds that their suffering urges peace.
Today only a few structures remain of Kriegsgefangenenlager Hoffnungsthal. They include the headquarters and two barrack complexes. A brick latrine also remains. These remnants serve as a stark reminder. They stand as a testament to the suffering endured within these grounds.