Bergen-Belsen concentration camp is liberated.

Bergen-Belsen was a Nazi concentration camp located in Lower Saxony, Germany, near the town of Bergen near Celle. Originally established as a prisoner of war camp in 1940, it was expanded to include a concentration camp in 1943. Bergen-Belsen became notorious for the horrendous conditions within the camp and the high mortality rate among its prisoners.

Unlike many other concentration camps, Bergen-Belsen was not a death camp equipped with gas chambers, but the death toll was exceedingly high due to starvation, lack of medical care, and the spread of infectious diseases such as typhus. The camp became increasingly overcrowded as prisoners were evacuated from camps closer to the front lines as Allied forces advanced into Germany.

Anne Frank, famous for her diary documenting her life in hiding during the German occupation of the Netherlands, died in Bergen-Belsen in March 1945, just a few weeks before the camp was liberated. Her exact date of death and the cause remain unknown, though it is presumed she died of typhus that ravaged the camp’s population.

Bergen-Belsen was liberated on April 15, 1945, by British forces. The soldiers found approximately 60,000 prisoners in the camp, many of whom were severely ill and starving. The conditions were so dire that more than 10,000 bodies lay unburied. The liberators were forced to take drastic measures, including burning the camp’s barracks to prevent the further spread of disease.

The liberation of Bergen-Belsen revealed the extent of the horrors of the Holocaust to the wider world, with images of the emaciated survivors and piles of deceased victims shocking the international community. Following the war, the camp served as a displaced persons camp, helping to resettle survivors. Today, Bergen-Belsen is a memorial site dedicated to remembering the victims and educating future generations about the atrocities committed during the Holocaust.