Germany commemorates 1940 mass deportations of Jews to Gurs

Historical commemorations are highlighting the mass deportation of approximately 6,540 Jewish people from Baden, the Palatinate, and the Saarland to the Gurs internment camp in southern France. The deportations, ordered by Reinhard Heydrich on October 22, 1940, utilized nine special trains to transport victims from 138 locations.

Many deportees died due to catastrophic conditions in Gurs, while others were later transferred to extermination camps such as Auschwitz and Sobibor. Recent efforts to document this period include a traveling photo exhibition at the University Library in Konstanz, which features 45 historical photographs from seven Baden communities.

In Neustadt, the one-person play ‘Niemandsland’ by Tino Leo will be performed at the Roxy-Kino on November 10, 2026. The production aims to connect historical facts with individual fates to address this chapter of regional history and the responsibility of the present generation.