Calendar

• marzec / kwiecień 1942

  Commencement of the construction of the SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor

  In the early spring of 1942, the Włodawa Judenrat was ordered by the Germans to provide 150 Jewish workers for construction works at the railway station in Sobibór. The works lasted about two months. After the construction was completed, two workers, Abraham Szmais and Fajwel Cukierman’s son-in-law, managed to escape. When the escapees reached Włodawa, they informed local Jews about the gas chambers that had been built in Sobibor.

  SeeCommencement of the construction of the SS-Sonderkommando Sobibor
• kwiecień 1942

  Camp personnel

  The camp was administered by a commandant and a crew of 20–30 officers from the SS, Austrians and Germans, as well as a 120-strong unit of the guard formation from Trawniki.

  SeeCamp personnel
• maj 1942

  First transports

  In early May 1942, the first mass transports from the Puławy, Krasnystaw, Chełm and Zamość counties, and a month later from the town of Hrubieszów, began reaching Sobibór. The victims were brought in to the camp in cargo trains (about 70 to 100 people were crammed into each wagon).

  SeeFirst transports
• czerwiec 1942

  First transports from abroad

  The first larger group of Jews from Poprad in Slovakia was deported to Sobibór. The transport consisted of about 1,000 people.

  SeeFirst transports from abroad
• lipiec/wrzesień 1942

  Halt in railway transports

  Due to the renovation works carried out at that time on the Lublin–Chełm railway line, few transports arrived at the camp. Many people were brought by trucks, carts, others were driven on foot from nearby towns.

  SeeHalt in railway transports
• sierpień/wrzesień 1942

  Redevelopment of the camp

  The works continued until the end of the camp's active operation. Ultimately, its area covered about 60 hectares, which rendered it the largest operation “Reinhardt” camp in terms of area.

  SeeRedevelopment of the camp
• koniec 1942

  Construction of a field crematorium

  Initially, the bodies of the victims were placed in mass graves on the grounds of camp III. The burning process commenced at the end 1942 and lasted until the end of the camp’s active operation. The corpses were burnt on fire grates made of rails.

  SeeConstruction of a field crematorium
• 12 lutego 1943

  SS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler's visit to the death camp in Sobibór

  Himmler arrived at the death camp with Christian Wirth, inspector of operation “Reinhardt” camps. On his way to Lublin, he was also accompanied by the higher SS and police leader in the GG, Friedrich Krüger, and Odilo Globocnik, who directly supervised “Einsatz Reinhardt.”

  SeeSS-Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler's visit to the death camp in Sobibór
• 4–25 marca 1943

  Deportation of Jews from France

  Four transports of Jews from the transit camp in Drancy reached Sobibor, a total of about 4,000 people. Mostly stateless persons or those who had obtained citizenship a little earlier, including a significant percentage of French Jews, were brought in to the facility.

  SeeDeportation of Jews from France
• 5 marca 1943

  Transport of Jews from the Netherlands

  The first transport of 1,105 Jews deported directly from the Netherlands reached Sobibor. The group came from the transit camp in Westerbork.

  SeeTransport of Jews from the Netherlands
• wiosna 1943

  Establishment of the first organised resistance group

  The camp’s resistance movement was headed by Lejba (Leon) Felhendler, the head of the Judenrat in Żółkiewka. They planned an escape and focused on gathering information needed to develop a plan – including the structure of the camp, the habits of the personnel, the changing of the guard and the type of the guards’ armament.

  SeeEstablishment of the first organised resistance group
• 23 lipca 1943

  Successful prisoner escape

  The escape took place near the village of Żłobek, where a group of prisoner-workers laboured in the forest. It was the first successful escape of such a large group prisoners, but most of them did not survive until the end of the war. Zyndel Honigman, Chaim Korenfeld, Salomon Podchlebnik and Abraham Wang were among those who managed to avoid death.

  SeeSuccessful prisoner escape
• wrzesień 1943

  Unsuccessful escape attempt

  Dutch Jews, headed by Joseph Jacobs, a naval officer, also made an attempt to organise an escape. As a result of betrayal (by the guards with whom they were in agreement), the conspiracy was discovered. Consequently, most of the Dutch Jews were murdered.

  SeeUnsuccessful escape attempt
• 23 września 1943

  Deportations from Minsk, Alexander Pechersky is deported to Sobibór

  Three transports of Jews from Minsk arrived at the camp in the second half of September.

  SeeDeportations from Minsk, Alexander Pechersky is deported to Sobibór
• wrzesień 1943

  Last transports of Jews

  The last transports to have reached Sobibór arrived from Lida and the liquidated ghetto in Wilno (September 23–24), carrying a total of about 5,000 people.

  SeeLast transports of Jews
• 14 października 1943

  Prisoner uprising

  Jewish prisoners of the Sobibor camp started an armed revolt. They killed nine SS men, severely injured one and killed two guards.

  SeePrisoner uprising
• grudzień 1943

  Liquidation of the camp

  After the uprising, the Germans decided to liquidate the camp. Jewish prisoners brought in from the death camp in Treblinka began dismantling the camp infrastructure. When their task was completed, the group was shot.

  SeeLiquidation of the camp