Oksbøl Camp

Facts

Denmark's largest refugee camp for Germans

By John V. Jensen, Cand.mag. i historie, dansk og filosofi, Århus Universitet. (4 stories)

Oksbøl Camp was built by the Danish military in 1929 but was taken over by the Germans after the occupation. Later, in 1945, it became one of many camps in Denmark that was converted for German refugees. In 1946, Oksbøl Camp housed 35,000 civilian German refugees, mainly women and children. They had fled from the Soviets advancing into areas of East Germany. The first refugees arrived at the camp in February 1945, and the last left it four years later. Parts of the camp were then handed over to the military while the rest was landscaped over.

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Too many dead children

Story written by John V. Jensen

Time / Periode 1945 1949

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The German refugees in Denmark do not get much of a mention in the history books. But the story of their fate has stirred up strong feelings and debate among present-day historians. In Denmark, in recent years, criticism has been directed at the high death rates among the German children. The evidence is plain to see in Vestre Churchyard in Copenhagen, Oksbøl refugee churchyard and elsewhere. Danish doctors in particular have been criticised for their role in the high mortality among children in the camps. In Germany too, a heated discussion has raged among strong critics of the Danish refugee camps on one hand and former refugees with a more positive view of their stay in Denmark on the other.