Displaced Persons Camps

     

WWII refugee camps, also known as DP Camps(Displaced Persons Camps), existed throughout Europe after the war.  Many of the refugees in these camps settled in the camps of Austria and Germany where despite the hardships, extreme poverty and hunger, at least the language proved to be a ‘natural fit’ for the Donauschwaben inhabitants.

 

Camp Memoirs . . .

Haigermoos & Remembrances of My Time in Austria
by Adam Martini Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3

Schwabenlager Groedig - Austria
by Franz Bohn

My Childhood Experiences as a Displaced Person - Engelhartszell & Durchgangslager Balingen - Austria & Germany
by Anne Dreer

Lager Moschendorf, Germany: Stories of Franz Dreer & Family
by Anne Koch Dreer

Obresch to Camp Haid near Ansfeldon - Austria
by Eve Brown

The Beginnings in Austria - Castle Güssing (in the Austrian Province of Burgenland), Camps Lehen & Sitzenheim, in Salzburg & Austria
by Hans Kopp

Moschendorf - Germany

Definitions:

Displaced person: (sometimes abbreviated DP) is the general term for someone who has been forced to leave his or her native place, a phenomenon known as forced migration. The term first gained widespread usage during World War II and the resulting refugee outflows from Eastern Europe, when it was used to specifically refer to one removed from his or her native country as a refugee, prisoner or a slave laborer. The meaning has significantly broadened in the past half-century. A displaced person may also be referred to as a forced migrant.  The term "refugee" is also commonly used as a synonym for displaced person, causing confusion between the general descriptive class of anyone who has left their home and the subgroup of legally defined refugees who enjoy specified international legal protection.

Displaced Persons (DP) Camps were established in Germany, Austria, France, Italy and Belgium. Some were located at former concentration camps or military camps, where the homeless immigrants were housed.  Many remained in these camps until the mid 1950’s while they waited for permission to emigrate.

External Links:

Displaced Persons' Camps


     

Displaced Persons Camp Coordinators:

Franz Bohn
Sellersville, PA

Anne Dreer
Guelph, Ontario CA

If you have information about a DP camp where
you or your Donauschwaben ancestors lived, please contact one of the Displaced Persons Camp Coordinators.

 

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Last Updated: 17 Jan 2012
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