Lecture by Prof. Dr. Sigrid Jacobeit "The Malchow trade and the munitions factory 1933-1945"
The history of Malchow between 1933 and 1945 was strongly influenced by the National Socialist rearmament, in particular the construction and operation of a large munitions factory.
The subcamp of the Ravensbrück women's concentration camp on Lagerstraße was built in Malchow for 1200 female prisoners. At the plant, they had to work 10-12 hours a day performing the most dangerous tasks involved in the production of chemical warfare agents and explosives. In the final months of the war, Malchow became a reception and evacuation camp for the death marches of the concentration camp prisoners. The war ended for the women when the Red Army moved in on May 2, 1945.
The dismantling of the machines and factory equipment began on the factory premises as reparations for the Soviet Union. Large parts of the factory facilities were blown up and destroyed. The administration building on Karower Chaussee as well as the residential buildings in the Thälmannsiedlung and the housing complexes of the former men's and women's camp were preserved.
Prof. Dr. Sigrid Jacobeit was director of the Ravensbrück Memorial of the Brandenburg Memorials Foundation from 1992 to 2005 and is the author of numerous publications.
Following her lecture, there will be an invitation to a joint discussion with refreshments.
