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Teaching the Holocaust and other Genocides
 
Created in collaboration with the Holocaust & Human Rights Center, the NYS Education Department, and the NYS Archives Partnership Trust.

Drancy Transit Camp

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Drancy Transit Camp

Drancy, a transit camp located in the northeastern suburbs of Paris,  played a significant role during the German occupation of France,  in the deportation of Jews to Nazi extermination camps in Poland. Below are some key points about Drancy.

Key Points 

Establishment
Drancy was established in 1941 in a former housing project. It was repurposed by the Nazis as a detention camp for Jews and others targeted by the regime.

Inmate Population
Between 1941 and 1944, over 65,000 Jews were interned at Drancy. Some of the Jews deported from Drancy were French citizens, but the majority were foreign-born Jews who had immigrated to France in the 1920s and 1930s, primarily from Poland and Germany, and after 1938 from Austria. They included families, elderly individuals, and children.

Conditions
Conditions at Drancy were overcrowded and unsanitary. Inmates lived in cramped quarters, with inadequate food and medical care. The camp was known for its oppressive atmosphere and the constant threat of deportation.

Deportations
Drancy served primarily as a transit point for Jews being deported to extermination camps, particularly Auschwitz and Sobibor. The first major deportation from Drancy occurred in March 1942. Following the Vel' d'Hiv Roundup on July 16-17, 1942, more than 4,900 of the 13,152 victims of the mass arrest were sent directly to the camp at Drancy before their deportation to Auschwitz. Trains regularly left the camp until late 1944.

Brutality and Oppression
In addition to the harsh living conditions, inmates faced physical and psychological abuse from the guards. The atmosphere of fear and uncertainty was pervasive, as families awaited their fate.

Liberation
Drancy was liberated by Allied forces in August 1944, after the liberation of Paris. By that time, many inmates had already been deported to their deaths.  Only 1542 persons were alive.