In the German information space, instances of the term polnische Konzentrationslager (“Polish concentration camps”) continue to appear. Similar lapses have also often surfaced in articles and reports published by opinion-forming outlets.
For example, in 2009 the weekly magazine Der Spiegel published an article titled “Die Komplizen” (“The Accomplices”). The article states, “Germany is responsible for the Holocaust, the mass murder of Jews carried out on an industrial scale,” but adds: “we were not alone. The executioners of orders and willing accomplices included Ukrainians, French, Dutch, Latvians, Lithuanians, Croats, Spaniards, Hungarians, Italians, and Poles.”[1]
The article argues that without the involvement of these SS and Nazi helpers, mass extermination could not have been carried out by Germans alone. This was intended to remind readers that the Holocaust had a European dimension, not merely a German one. On the one hand, the article does not absolve Germany of responsibility — it acknowledges that Germans were the primary organisers and perpetrators. On the other hand, the structure of the text indicates an attempt to relativise German guilt, shifting part of the responsibility onto other nations. The Polish Ministry of Foreign Affairs documents such instances [2] .
On 26 January 2018, the Polish Parliament (the Sejm) passed a law, prepared by the Ministry of Justice, aimed at protecting the good name of Poland. The law is to counteract attempts to shift responsibility for crimes committed during World War II by the Third Reich onto Poland and Poles [3].
The term “Polish concentration camps” obscures Germany’s responsibility for the crimes of the Third Reich. It constitutes a distortion of history. The concentration camps located in Poland were German, established and managed by the Third Reich. The concept of polnische Konzentrationslager undermines the memory of the victims who suffered and perished there. The consequences of such “mistakes” are serious. This is because media errors of this kind can take on a life of their own. Even a single article in a local newspaper using this terminology can be cited, copied, or used by extreme right-wing groups. It may also be used as propaganda against Poland Russian disinformation eagerly seizes on such examples, using them to spread narratives about alleged “Polish co responsibility for the Holocaust,” “Polish camps,” or supposed Polish crimes against Jews. These messages are then intentionally pushed into the German information space to undermine Polish-German relations, sow distrust, and shift part of the historical burden of World War II onto Central European countries.
Do Germans respond? Yes — but always post factum. Many German media outlets have already introduced stylebook guidelines for this issue. Only after protests from Polish diplomats and Jewish organisations do German editorial offices (e.g., Die Welt, Der Spiegel, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung) regularly correct such errors. Yet these terms should never have appeared in their publications in the first place!
Imprecise Language
The term “Polish concentration camps” appears in Germany for several reasons, none of which are correct or justified. Most often, it stems from imprecise language, where authors — especially less experienced journalists or individuals outside the field of historical research — use shorthand referring to the geographical location of camps situated in present-day Poland. In this context, “Polish” is meant to indicate “located in Poland,” but in practice it leads to a dangerous blurring of responsibility for their creation and operation, which rests solely with Germany and the structures of the Third Reich. This linguistic error subconsciously suggests Polish agency, which is a gross distortion of history and an injustice to the victims.
Shifting Responsibility — the “Memory Competition”
In parts of the German public debate, a phenomenon known as “memory shift” has emerged, in which the focus is redirected from German responsibility to other nations. While this is not a dominant narrative, it appears in journalism and in extreme circles. Transferring blame to the “East,” particularly to Central and Eastern European countries, can be part of a conscious or unconscious effort to ease Germany’s historical burden or to equate the atrocities committed by the German state under Adolf Hitler with those committed by other nations at the time during the same period. Such narratives fit into a broader tendency to relativise history and reinterpret World War II through the lens of contemporary political tensions.
Insufficient Historical Knowledge Among New Generations
In Germany — as in many other countries — younger generations often lack detailed knowledge about the geography of Nazi camps. This makes them susceptible to simplistic associations such as: “Auschwitz is in Poland, therefore it’s a Polish camp.” There is insufficient awareness that Poland was occupied and that Poles were victims. This issue also affects foreign media, but in Germany it carries particular sensitivity, as it concerns crimes committed by their own state. Many people know Auschwitz only as a place located in modern-day Poland, without understanding that the country was occupied and that Poles were among the first victims of Nazi persecution. This educational gap fuels misunderstandings and careless terminology. Furthermore, even isolated mistakes in regional media or online spaces can be copied and quoted, eventually becoming detached from their original context and beginning to take on a life of its own.
Russian Disinformation
There is also another particularly significant factor: active Russian disinformation. For years, Russian media and entities linked to the propaganda apparatus have attempted to spread the narrative of alleged Polish co-responsibility for the Holocaust. Such content also appears in the German informational space, where it is used instrumentally to weaken Polish-German relations and sow distrust between societies. Russian propaganda deliberately employs the term “Polish camps,” as its very linguistic structure lends itself to manipulation.
All these factors contribute to the persistence of this incorrect term, despite its historical falsehood and ethical unacceptability. Concentration and extermination camps were created, managed, and staffed by Germans — on occupied territories, not “Polish” ones. This phenomenon persists because it results from a combination of linguistic inaccuracies, educational deficiencies, memory disputes, and the influence of contemporary propaganda.
Prof. Marek Melnyk
[1] https://www.spiegel.de/ /politik/ausland/polnische-reaktionen-auf-spiegel-titel-welle-der-empoerung-a-626150.html?utm_source=chatgpt.com [pobranie 12.11.2025].
https://mistewicz.dorzeczy.pl/ _f//elements/2020-10/DoRzeczy-dodatek-Niemiecka-polityka-historyczna.pdf [pobranie 10.11.205].
[2] https://www.gov.pl/web/ gov/szukaj?scope=dyplomacja&query=polskie+obozy+koncentracyjne [pobranie 12.11.2025].
[3] https://www.gov.pl/web/ sprawiedliwosc/ustawa-chroniaca-dobre-imie-polski-uchwalona [pobranie 12.11.2025].
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