Knorrstraße Barrack Camp (Milbertshofen Jewish settlement)

The barrack camp at Knorrstraße 148 was euphemistically called the ‘Jew Camp’ by the persecuting authorities. It was in an industrial area in the Milbertshofen district and was the largest camp for Jews in Munich. In addition to the ‘Home for Jews Berg am Laim‘ and the Lohhof Flax Processing Works, the ‘Jew Camp Milbertshofen’ was part of the camp system that was set up by the  ‘Aryanization Office’ to exclude, discriminate against, and plunder Munich Jews. Jewish forced laborers had to build the barracks camp without pay under the leadership of the municipal building department from spring to summer 1941. The ‘Aryanization Office’ extorted many times the construction costs from Munich Jews for the construction and maintenance of the camp. They turned the Jews out of their apartments and assigned them places in the camp or in one of the Munich ‘Jew houses’.

The Milbertshofen camp was designed for up to 650 people and had its own kitchen and infirmary. The residents slept on simple wooden plank beds; there was no private space. Starting in November 1941, the camp served as a collection point for deportations. Over several days, up to 1200 people were housed there. The leader was Hugo Railing; after his deportation, leadership was transferred to Curt Mezger. De factor, however, the employees of the ‘Aryanization Office’ maintained control. They repeatedly abused residents. After the majority of the Munich Jews had been deported, the camp was closed on August 19, 1942. The remaining people were transferred to the ‘Jewish Home Berg am Laim’. The Bavarian Motor Works (BMW) purchased the barracks camp and housed forced laborers there.

After the war, it was initially used as a camp for refugees; later as housing for the homeless, and finally torn down. Today, a memorial stele dedicated in 1982 in the industrial area reminds people of the fate of the people in the ‘Jew Camp Milbertshofen’.