“The Struthof camp supplied the University of Strasbourg with human beings for experiments” – Libération

Emmanuel Macron is going to Struthof this Saturday, November 23, to mark the 80th anniversary of the liberation of this concentration camp, the only one opened in France during the Second World War. The opportunity, for the doctor and historian Christian Bonah, to look back on the scientific experiments that were carried out there.

The Struthof concentration camp, around fifty kilometers from Strasbourg (Bas-Rhin), is the only concentration camp located in France. It was opened in 1941, more than 50,000 prisoners of around thirty nationalities were recorded there, and more than 20,000 died there: Jews, political opponents, Gypsies, homosexuals… occasion of the presidential visit to the camp, this Saturday, November 23, to commemorate the 80th anniversary of its liberation, the professor of history of life and health sciences at the University of Strasbourg, Christian Bonah responds to Liberation. He was a member of the independent historical commission charged with investigating the activities of the Reichsuniversität Strassburg (Reich University of Strasbourg) during the annexation of Alsace by Nazi Germany.

What is the history of this place located in the Vosges, before it became a concentration camp?

It is a place located on the side of a hill, approximately 600 meters above sea level, which overlooks the Bruche valley. There was a hotel and a restaurant. It was a vacation spot, especially in winter, where people went to go sledding on Sundays. In 1940, shortly after the annexation of Alsace, a geologist wandered around the area and scouted for