After Hitler's rise to power, about 21,600 Jews managed to enter Switzerland, but thousands more were denied entry as a result of harshly restrictive policies. Most refugees were put into camps which were established, funded and operated by the Joint Distribution Committee and the Swiss Aid Society for Jewish Refugees, the latter being an umbrella organization for Swiss Jews. Other Jewish refugees were placed in work camps which were established by a decree enacted in March, 1940. Although these work camps could not be equated with German camps, conditions were harsh, and Jews lived under the threat of being sent back to Germany. In addition to civilian refugees, there were over 50,000 allied military personnel who managed to escape to Switzerland. These individuals were confined in a system of military internment camps.
Aarau is a town between Basel and Zurich. It was a site of a refugee camp. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover from the refugee camp at Aarau addressed to the Red Cross in Geneva. Postage was not required. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Aarau" in the left frame to return.
Bad Schauenburg was the site of a work camp for Jewish refugees. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of two postcards from Rosalie Wolf in Frankfurt to her son, Ernst Wolf who had been relocated from Lagenbrick to the work camp at Bad Schauenburg. The first card is postmarked Frankfurt, June 11, 1941, and addressed to Ernst at Haus Waldeck in Langenbruck with a receiving cancel dated June 16, 1941. The card was forwarded to Arbeitslager Bad Schauenburg. The card also bears German censor cancels and green Z circular Swiss censor strike. This Swiss censor mark was used by the Swiss military from spring to fall in 1941. The second postcard is postmarked December 12, 1941. According to the Yad Vashem Central Database of Shoah Victims, Rosalie perished during the war. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Bad Schauenburg" in the left frame to return.
Campo di Lavoro was a camp located near Locarno in southern Switzerland. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of three postcards. The first is a postcard postmarked March 19, 1942, from to the Litzmannstadt Ghetto. The card contains a Gestapo censor cancel and states that it is like paradise at the labor camp. The second is a postcard postmarked August 17, 1942, from Eugen Rosenfeld at Campo di Lavoro to a relative in Vienna. The card bears a notation in pencil that the recipient "emigrated" to Poland, as well as a German post office label in German and French that the addressee has gone without indication of a new address. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Campo di Lavoro" in the left frame to return.
Cossonay is a town near Lausanne. It was the site of a camp for refugees. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover postmarked September 15, 1943, from Germany to Zurich, Switzerland. The card was redirected on September 21, 1943, to refugee camp in Cossonay. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Cossonay" in the left frame to return.
Fallanden was a labor camp located near Fallanden, a town in the Canton of Zurich. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked July 15, 1940, from Julie Soffer in Vienna to Eugen Rosenfeld at the Fallanden labor camp. The card (a German postal stationery card) was forwarded to the labor camp at Kemleten, also in the Canton of Zurich. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Fallanden" in the left frame to return.
Felsberg was a labor camp located near Lucerne. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked February 12, 1944, from Felsberg to Tel Aviv. The card contains Swiss and Palestine censor cachets. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Felsberg" in the left frame to return.
Hausernmoos was a camp in the Emmenthal area. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked October 2, 1940, is addressed to the Polish Red Cross in Toulouse, France. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Hausernmoos" in the left frame to return.
Inkwil was a camp located near Bern. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked August 22, 1940, is addressed to the Polish Red Cross in Toulouse, France. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Inkwil" in the left frame to return.
Kemleten was a camp located near Kemleten, a town in the Canton of Zurich. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked August 1, 1940, from Julie Soffer in Vienna to the labor camp at Kemleten. There is no addressee name. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Kemleten" in the left frame to return.
Langenbruck was a camp located between Basel and Lucerne. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard from Frankfurt to Ernest Wolf at a camp in Lagenbruck. The card is postmarked February 2, 1940. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Lagenbruck" in the left frame to return.
Lausanne was the site of a civilian refugee camp. Below is a thumbnail of the front of a cover from an inmate at the civilian internment camp in Lausanne. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Lausanne" in the left frame to return.
Les Avants is a town in the Lake Geneva region. It was the site of a civilian refugee camp. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard to Geneva from an inmate at the civilian internment camp at Les Avants. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Les Avants" in the left frame to return.
Leysin is a town in the Lake Geneva region. It was the site of a civilian refugee camp. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of two postcards to Geneva from an inmate at the civilian internment camp at Leysin. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Leysin" in the left frame to return.
Rheinfelden is a town on the Rhein River, a short distance from Basel. Below is a thumbnail of a a letter on preprinted stationery dated July 27, 1945, from a Polish internee, Norich Wolf at Rheinfelden to his Uncle acknowledging receipt of a parcel. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Rheinfelden" in the left frame to return.
Schaffhausen was a camp located near Schaffhausen, a town in the Canton of the same name. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked December 6, 1942, from Rosa Soffer in Vienna to Eugen Rosenfeld, her brother, at the camp at Schaffhausen. The card was addressed to Rosenfeld at Campo di Lavoro near Locarno (Locarno receiving cancel dated December 28, 1942). It was forwarded to Schaffhausen. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Schaffhausen" in the left frame to return.
Sumiswald was a camp located near Bern. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard postmarked August 27, 1940, from a doctor who made it to Switzerland and was interned at a camp located in Sumiswald. The card is addressed to the Polish Red Cross in Toulouse, France. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Sumiswald" in the left frame to return.
Zurich was the site of an "Immigrants Camp". Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover postmarked August 6, 1942, from Vienna to St. Gallen, Switzerland. The card was redirected on August 11, 1942, to camp for immigrants in Zurich. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Zurich" in the left frame to return.
Bettenhausen was the site of a military internment camp near Herzogenbuchsee. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover with letter from Poland to the military internment camp at Bettenhausen. The card was redirected to a camp at Oberburg. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Bettenhausen" in the left frame to return.
Elgg is a town near Winterthur. It was the site of a military internment camp. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover with letter from an inmate at the military internment camp in Elgg to Bern. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Elgg" in the left frame to return.
Ellikon Thur was the site of a military internment camp. Below is a thumbnail of the front of a cover from Villeurbanne to an inmate at the military internment camp at Ellikon Thur. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Ellikon Thur" in the left frame to return.
Langnau is a town near Zurich. It was a site of a military internment camp. Below are thumbnails of the front of two covers. The first was from Grenoble to an inmate at the military internment camp at Langnau. The second was from St. Aignan, France, to an inmate at the military internment camp at Langnau. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Langnau" in the left frame to return.
Lutzelfluh was the site of a military internment camp. The town is located near Bern. Below is a thumbnail of the front of a military postcard bearing camp cachets for Lutzelfluh and Schwanden. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Lutzelfluh" in the left frame to return.
Matzingen is a town in northern Switzerland. It was the site of a internment camp for Allied military personnel during the war. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a postcard from the military internment camp located at Matzingen. The card is addressed to Alfred Schwartzbaum in Lausanne, Switzerland. Schwartzbaum was the unofficial representative of the Jewish Agency. Postage was not required. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Matzingen" in the left frame to return.
Molondin is a town in the Vaud canton. It was the site of a internment camp for Allied military personnel during the war. Below are thumbnails of the front and back of a cover from a Yugoslav soldier interned at the military internment camp located at Molondin. The cover is addressed to the Red Cross in Geneva. Postage was not required.
Zolikon is a town in just south of Zurich. It was the site of a internment camp for Allied military personnel during the war. Below are thumbnails of the front of Two covers. The first cover is addressed to a French soldier interned at the military internment camp located at Zolikon. The second cover is from Montfavet to an inmate at the military internment camp at Zolikon. Please click on the thumbnail to see the full image, and then click your back key or "Zolikon" in the left frame to return.
Guman, Encyclopedia of the Holocaust, P. 1441-44
Encyclopedia Judaica, CD-Rom Edition, Keter Publishing
Museum of Tolerance On Line Learning Center
http://www.jewishaz.com/jewishnews/980109/swiss.shtml
http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/genocide/Switzerland6.htm
Copyright © 2003 Edward Victor