General View of the Prison Camp at Meschede

Creator

Anonymous

Preview

Creation Date

1915

Description

This photograph provides an excellent view of the prison camp in Meschede during the Winter of 1914-1915. The railroad station where arriving prisoners disembarked can be seen in the foreground of the photograph. To the left is the infirmary, where new arrivals were disinfected and kept in quarantine to prevent the spread of any infectious diseases and where sick prisoners were isolated to prevent further contamination. After passing a medical inspection, POW's then moved to the main camp in the center of the picture. Prison camps took on the dimensions of towns and even small cities during the course of the war.