SUB KL LEITMERITZ

Leitmeritz was the largest sub camp of Flossenburg. Prior to the installation of its crematorium in 1945 dead bodies were sent to the Terezin ghetto to be cremated (from July 1944 to the beginning of 1945). Two locally manufactured ovens were built in a brick building in the sub camp at the beginning of 1945. Bodies were burned here until April 1945. In April 1945 405 bodies were cremated. The capacity of the ovens was incapable of keeping up with the body count and resort was made to mass graves. 789 bodies were exhumed from mass graves after the war and reburied in the National cemetary in Terezin. In addition the ashes from crematorium were moved to the national cemetary.

Dead prisoners from the Flossenburg sub camp of Hertine (Rytne) were brought to Leitmeritz camp for cremation. In addition on 16 April 1945 16 dead Jewish prisoners from Hertine were buried in the Ortsfriedhof in Hertine.

Source: Benz, Wolfgang and Distel, Barbara. Der Ort Des Terror Band 4. CH Beck 2006

Photograph of the two single muffle ovens in KL Richard a sub camp of Flossenburg. Richard was in Leitmeritz four kilometers from the Terezin ghetto. These ovens still exist today and are controlled by the Terezin memorial.