Comment: Camp in Potulice was established on the 1st of February 1941 as a collective camp for Polish families displaced from Pomerania and then sent to area of General Governorship. It was located in building of a local grange. Since autumn 1941 to beginnings of 1942 the camp was subordinate to a Stutthof camp. Over that period it was playing a role of an "educational" labor camp. At the same time a development of the camp began, which lasted until the end of 1944. Since January 1942 camp in Potulice became organizationally independent. Since the 1st of September 1942 camps of Migration Center in Smukala and Torun were subordinate to Potulice.

Most of prisoners of the camp in Potulice were members of displaced Polish families whose property was taken over by German settlers, in course of German plans of germanization of Pomerania. Initially prisoners were directed to work at large farms and factories in area of Gdansk - West Prussia. Along with development of the camp branches of industrial companies were appearing in its area. There was also a separate camp for children from the East (Ostjugendbewahrlager).

On the eve of liberation on the 21st of January 1945 the camp's register included 11188 prisoners. 5339 persons were staying within the camp, including 660 children and 189 sick persons. 4552 people were working at factories in Gdansk, Gdynia, Elblag, Bydgoszcz and Pila and 1327 at farms. Total number of prisoners of the camp has been estimated at about 25 thousand. Death record included 1297 persons, including 767 children.

The photographs are copies of pictures which were supposed to be burned during evacuation of Nazi authorities on the 21st of January 1945 but were saved by Kazimierz Koperski, a prisoner of Stutthof and Lebrechtdorf (Potulice) (Stanislaw Blazejewski)

External description: Black and white copies of photographs, size 10 x 14 cm.

Location: State Archive in Bydgoszcz, Records of Migration Center Camp in Potulice, cat. no. 98.