Karl Schwesig manuscript

Identifier
irn513908
Language of Description
English
Alt. Identifiers
  • 1988.5.21
Dates
1 Jan 1948 - 31 Dec 1948
Level of Description
Item
Languages
  • German
  • German
Source
EHRI Partner

Extent and Medium

folders

2

Creator(s)

Biographical History

Karl Schwesig was born on June 19, 1898, in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. His father was a miner. From 1916 to 1918, Schwesig served in the German Army during the First World War (1914-1918). In 1918, Schwesig began studying at the Academy of Fine Arts in Dusseldorf. In 1921, he left the conservative academy and joined the Junge Rhineland artist group. In 1924, Schwesig cofounded the satirical magazine Die Peitsche (The Whip). The right wing Nazi Party was growing rapidly in popularity duirng the 1920s and Schwesig was an outspoken anti-Nazi. He joined the Communist Party in the late 1920’s. Hitler came to power in Germany in January 1933 and the country was soon ruled by a Nazi dictatorship. On July 11, 1933, Schwesig was arrested for his anti-Nazi commentary. He was detained by the SA and interrogated for the names of colleagues who also resisted the Nazis. He was sent to Ulmer Höhe prison in Dusseldorf. In 1934, he was convicted of treason and served his sentence in Bendahl prison in Wuppertal. After his release on November 18, 1934, Schwesig was granted political asylum in Belgium and lived in Antwerp. In 1937, his German citizenship was revoked and his property in Germany was confiscated by the Nazi regime. On May 10, 1940, Germany invaded Belgium. Schwesig was arrested and deported to St. Cyprien internment camp in Vichy France. In October, he was moved to Gurs internment camp after St. Cyprien was destroyed by flooding. In February 1941, he was transferred to Noé internment camp. In March 1943, he was sent to Nexon internment camp and classified as a politcal prisoner. In June, Schwesig was sent to Fort Romainville prison in Paris and in July to Ulmer Höhe prison in Dusseldorf. Throughout his imprisonment, Schwesig drew images of daily life in the camps. Schwesig was liberated in Ulmer Höhe after American forces captured Dusseldorf on April 17, 1945. The war ended when Germany surrendered on May 7. Schwesig stayed in Dusseldorf. He died, age 57, in 1955.

Archival History

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

Acquisition

United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Collection

Funding Note: The cataloging of this collection has been supported by a grant from the Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany.

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum acquired the Karl Schwesig manuscript from Galerie Remmert und Barth in 1988.

Scope and Content

Karl Schwesig's manuscript is not formally titled but has been referred to as "Pyrenäenbericht." It is divided into five sections: untitled (39 pages), "Noé" (8 pages), "Zwischensatz [Noé]" (10 pages), "Nexon" (14 pages), and "Fort Romainville, Kaserne" (11 pages). The manuscript relates his internment as a political prisoner in Holocaust-era concentration camps in France including Noé, Gurs, Saint-Cyprien, Nexon, as well as the Fort de Romainville prison in Paris and the Ulmer Höhe prison in Düsseldorf. It describes the scenery in the Pyrenees, camp conditions, food, his health, the treatment he received, fellow prisoners, daily life, and extraordinary events. The manuscript is accompanied by a map tracing Schwesig's Holocaust era itinerary from Düsseldorf, through Belgium and France, and back to Düsseldorf.

System of Arrangement

The Karl Schwesig manuscript is arranged as a single series: I. Karl Schwesig manuscript, approximately 1948

Conditions Governing Reproduction

Copyright Holder: Galerie Remmert und Barth

People

Corporate Bodies

Subjects

Genre

This description is derived directly from structured data provided to EHRI by a partner institution. This collection holding institution considers this description as an accurate reflection of the archival holdings to which it refers at the moment of data transfer.