The concentration camp of Bistrița (Bistrița-Năsăud County)

The camp was set up in the “Stamboli” farm, located 3-4 km away from the city. About 2500 Jews from the towns of Bistrița and Năsăud, and about 3800 Jews from Bistrița de Jos, Bistrița de Sus, Năsăud and Rodna (Bistrița-Năsăud County) were transferred here. The total number of those concentrated in the “Stamboli” farm was about 6300 (from a total number of Jews living in the county of 6800).

The barns and pig sties on the “Stamboli” farm were employed for the accommodation of the Jews concentrated in the camp. After the Jews were brought in on 3 May 1944, several more barracks were built in a hurry. However, the improvised housing was still insufficient, and a large number of prisoners remained under the open sky. The camp lacked potable water, causing the prisoners to suffer from thirst in the first days of detention. After a few days, they had water brought in in tank trucks in insignificant quantities for each prisoner. Not only was there a shortage of food, but there were no conditions for cooking, either. The sanitary conditions were miserable, with no spaces for physiological needs (for these, four ditches were dug which served as latrines).

Camp commanders were Gecse Debreczenyi Miklós, the chief of police, and two local SS officers, Heinrich Smolka and Gustav Orendi. They caused starvation in the camp by providing little to no food. Moreover, they prevented the non-Jews of Bistrița from bringing food to the Jews in the camp. The camp also had a torture and investigative unit which abused the prisoners in order to obtain information about the alleged possessions they were hiding. Due to the poor conditions in which the Jews were held in this camp, and because of the lack of medication for the seriously ill, 300 people died, the number of those remaining in the camp until the end of May 1944 dwindling to 6000.

The deportation of the Jews from the camp of Bistrița to Auschwitz took place between 1 and 4 June 1944 in 2 transports.