Föhrenwald

Föhrenwald (German: [ˈføːʁənˌvalt]) was one of the largest displaced persons camps in post-World War II Europe and the last to close, in 1957.

[1] The camp facilities were originally built in 1939 by IG Farben as housing for its employees at the several munitions factories that it operated in the vicinity.

In June 1945, the camp was appropriated by the US Army administration of postwar Germany's American sector, for the purpose of housing international refugees.

A school was established for youngsters, with extracurricular activities arranged largely through the efforts of local chapters of the Jewish youth movements.

It published an internal newspaper, Bamidbar ("In the wilderness", the Hebrew name for the Book of Numbers), that in 1947 issued a 100-page almanac documenting the camp's activities.

During the early years of the camp's operation, residents mounted several protest campaigns against Allied policy, particularly regarding the restrictions on Jewish immigration to Mandatory Palestine.

A number of residents who attempted clandestine immigration to Mandatory Palestine in violation of British restrictions, were apprehended by the authorities and sent back to Föhrenwald.