• Stalag III C Cemetery
A memorial on the war cemetery in Kostrzyn-Drzewice, close to the Polish town of Kostrzyn nad Odrą, honours the victims of the Stalag III C POW camp, which was located at the site. Between 1939 and 1945, thousands of prisoners of war died as a result of forced labour and the inhumane conditions they were subjected to.
Image: Küstrin, undated, Former old town, Frank Steinke, Berlin
Küstrin, undated, Former old town, Frank Steinke, Berlin

Image: Kostrzyn, 2009, Memorial on the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn, 2009, Memorial on the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn (German: Küstrin) is located in the Oderbruch region, not even 100 km east of Berlin on the right side of the Oder river. In 1939, a prisoner of war camp was erected in Alt-Drewitz (today: Kostrzyn-Drzewice), Stalag III C. It is estimated that up to 70,000 prisoners were held at the camp. The prisoners of war - Poles, Frenchmen, Soviet prisoners from 1941 on, and Italian military internees from 1943 on - were deployed in forced labour in the Küstrin area. Little is known about the POW camp and its inmates. The camp was liberated by the Red Army in January 1945.
Image: Küstrin, undated, Former old town, Frank Steinke, Berlin
Küstrin, undated, Former old town, Frank Steinke, Berlin

Image: Kostrzyn, 2009, Memorial on the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn, 2009, Memorial on the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
It is estimated that about 12,000 prisoners of war perished at Stalag III C. They fell victim to the inhumane conditions at the camp, to forced labour and abuse. French and Soviet prisoners comprised the largest prisoner groups; they too suffered the highest fatalities. From 1941 on, over 19,000 Red Army soldiers alone were imprisoned at Stalag III C. From 1943 on, over 14,000 Italian military internees were admitted into the camp.
Image: Kostrzyn, 2009, Eyewitness at the entrance to the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn, 2009, Eyewitness at the entrance to the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de

Image: Kostrzyn, 2009, Prisoners of war cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn, 2009, Prisoners of war cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Since the end of World War II, the town has been part of Poland and is now called Kostrzyn nad Odrą. It is located in close vicinity of the German-Polish border. The former old town, situated on an island on the Oder river, was destroyed during the war. Until 1991, the island was a restricted, militarized zone and the remains of the old town were torn down. Today, the landscape of ruins is open to the public and parts of the former Küstrin fortress are being restored.
The Kostrzyn-Drzewice war cemetery was established in 1962. A memorial to the deceased prisoners of war was erected on the cemetery: a relief depicts the busts of three men, representing the prisoners of war. The memorial plaque reads: »Cemetery for the prisoners of war of the Stalag III C camp in Kostrzyn-Drzewice, 1939-1945. About 7,000 Allied prisoners of war were murdered here by the Nazis, glory to them.« French veterans donated a further memorial plaque in 1966. In 1989, a metal cross was added to the memorial. There is a small exhibition about the history of the camp in Gimnazjum nr. 2 on ul. Mikołaja Reja 32.
The cemetery is located in a forest between Drzewice and Szumiłowo. Leaving Kostrzyn-Drzewice bound north follow Namyślińska street, after about 1.5 km a path leads into the forest.
Image: Kostrzyn, 2009, Entrance to the war cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn, 2009, Entrance to the war cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de

Image: Kostrzyn, 2004, On the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Kostrzyn, 2004, On the cemetery, www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
Name
Cmentarz i teren obozu Stalag IIIc
Address
Namyślińska
66-470 Kostrzyn nad Odrą
Web
http://www.tourist-info-kostrzyn.de
E-Mail
stalagIIIc@kostrzyn.travel