1 Killing site(s)
Wacław S., born in 1924: "The camp barracks stood near the edge of the forest, with the graves located just behind them. At the time, there wasn’t a large forest, only some shrubs, but it must have been enough to conceal the graves. They dug square pits, resembling the foundation of a house, large enough to hold about a dozen people. Many Jews lost their lives here." (Testimony N°YIU458P, interviewed in Klimonty, on July 21, 2015)
Klimonty is a village in Poland, located 115 km (71.5 miles) from Warsaw in the Mazovian Voivodeship, Siedlce County, within the Gmina Mordy. Unlike other localities in the region, Klimonty did not have a Jewish community. Instead, the nearby town of Mordy served as the central hub for the Jewish population in the area.
Jewish residents in Mordy were primarily engaged in commerce and craftsmanship, operating cobbler shops, tailoring businesses, numerous stores, and an inn. Their contributions were integral to the local economy, providing essential goods and services to the surrounding rural communities.
Klimonty came under German occupation in September 1939. After the liquidation of the labor camp in the nearby village of Stok Ruski, its detainees were transferred to Klimonty, where another labor camp was established on March 1, 1942. The camp was located on the outskirts of Klimonty, near the forest, on land that had previously been used as a meadow. It housed approximately 1,000 adults, primarily Jews, though a local witness interviewed by Yahad reported that some Soviet POWs were also detained there.
The camp consisted of four large barracks built at the edge of the forest. While there was no watchtower, the camp was guarded by armed Germans. Prisoners were assigned to meadow improvement projects and work along the road. As there were no wells on the camp grounds, inmates were regularly sent to the village to fetch water.
Attempts to escape from the camp were met with execution. According to archival records, a typhus epidemic claimed the lives of approximately 200 detainees during the camp’s operation. Harsh working and living conditions also resulted in the deaths of many prisoners. The victims were buried in the forest behind the barracks, across the road. It is believed that some of the Jewish victims from the Stok Ruski labor camp were also buried in Klimonty. To this day, there is no memorial to commemorate the victims.
The camp was liquidated in July 1942, with the remaining prisoners transferred to Węgrów.
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