Columbia concentration camp

Originally called Strafgefängnis Tempelhofer Feld the building, which contained 134 cells, 10 interrogation rooms and a guardroom, had been built as a military police station but fell empty in 1929. However, as soon as the Nazi Party came to power, the building, by then known as Columbia-Haus, was made into a prison, with 400 inmates held by September 1933. was largely unregulated until 1934 when it was placed under the command of Walter Gerlach including the rightist Max Naumann who spent time as an inmate. From 27 December 1934 the prison was administrated by the Concentration Camps Inspectorate. On 8 January 1935 Reinhard Heydrich announced that Konzentrationslager Columbia was to be adopted as the official name, in preference to Columbia-Haus. ==Personnel==

Many leading perpetrators of the Holocaust saw service in Columbia early in their careers. Notable amongst these was Karl Otto Koch, who was appointed commandant in 1935. At lower levels camp guards included Richard Baer, Max Kögel and Theodor Dannecker. ==Closure and legacy==

The camp was closed in 1936 to make way for the expansion of Berlin Tempelhof Airport. After its August closure the remaining prisoners were moved to the new facility established at Sachsenhausen. A motion was passed by Tempelhof district city council to lay a plaque on the site of the camp. The memorial was installed in 1994. ==References==