Penal Camp Neusustrum (Emslandlager V)

Neusustrum was established on 1 September 1933 with a capacity of 1.000 prisoners. Until April 1934 it served as concentration camp. After 1934, Neusustrum became officially a penal camp.

Between 1937/1938, Neusustrum was expanded to a capacity of 1.500 prisoners. The camp held homosexuals, Polish POW's, military convicts and Jews who were forced to do slave labor. In 1942, 60 Jews and 1.651 Polish POW's were deported from Neusustrum. As a result of exhaustion and molestation, a high number of camp prisoners died in this camp. In early April 1945, the camp was evacuated to Aschendorfermoor.

Till 1950, Neusustrum was reused under the new name:Justizstrafanstalt Lingen zur Unterbringung von Gefangenen. Shortly after the camp was demolished. Today there is not much left of the camp. What still can be visited of the former camp location related to Neusustrum:
- A SA-memorial established in 1934. After the war, the swastika was replaced by a horse.
- Recreation park built by the camp prisoners.
- 3 memorial stones in memory of the camp and its prisoners.

The perished camp prisoners of Neusustrum are buried on the Bockhorst/Esterwegen cemetery.

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Source

• Text: Kaj Metz
• Photos: Geert Westerhof