Natzweiler-Struthoff

Concentration Camp      

The Nazis established a concentration camp near the town of Natzweiler, 31 miles south of Strasbourg, on a hill in the Vosges Mountains. Natzweiler –Struthof was one of the smallest concentration camps.

It was apparently established after Albert Speer, Hitler’s architect, who had been on an inspection tour of recently occupied France and had noticed the presence of granite deposits in the Natzweiler area.

The Deutsche Erd-und Steinwerke GmbH (German Earth and Stone-Works Ltd) reacted to Speers’ promptings and by autumn 1940 had launched a project to quarry the granite, with the work to be done by prisoners.

The commandants of Natzweiler were as follows: 

• Egon Zill – 1942-1943

• Hans Huettig – 1942

• Freidrich Hartjenstein - 1944

• Heinrich Schwarz - 1945

• Josef Kramer -1944