Svaliava (Ukrainian: Свалява, IPA: [swɐˈlʲɑwɐ] ⓘ) is a city located on the Latorytsia River in Zakarpattia Oblast in western Ukraine.

Its origin dates back to ancient times, when salt from the Marmaros County was transported to neighboring regions.

Gradually, Swaljawa became a multinational town with a significant part of the population being ethnic Germans.

Hungarian and German-born civilians (born between 1896, and 1926) were carried off by Soviet forces to the camp purely on the basis of their nationality.

They were ordered to report for "malenkij robot" (a corrupted Russian for "small work"), but most of them – more than 20 thousand deportees were killed in the deathcamp after being subjected to various tortures (no water for days, glass powder mixed into their food).