ODYSSEY (1997–2012), A SCULPTOR’S SPIRITUAL JOURNEY
Life in the Displaced Persons Camp
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Everybody had somewhere safe to sleep and there was a kitchen with plenty to eat for
everyone. These camps were supposed to be temporary places. We were moved to a number of places before we were taken to our permanent D.P. Camp (Displaced Persons Camp). It was in a small town called Landstuhl. In the middle of forests were huge army blocks. Every day people were brought from different places such as factories, farms, labour camps and concentration camps. We stood near the entrance gate to watch if anybody we knew was coming in. There were many emotional moments when families were reunited. Brothers and sisters who lost contact during the war had found each other again. There were around eight thousand people in my camp. At first there was chaos but soon everything was organised. At first we were under the American Zone and later the French took over. There were separate blocks for families, single people, and officers. There was also a block used as a hospital. There were people from all kinds of professions such as actors, musicians, sportsmen, teachers, and doctors. Also lots of different nationalities, Ukrainian, Latvians, Russians but most of them were Polish. At that moment nobody was fit to make any plans or to travel. The camp existed for about 2 years. There were many people dying or ill. There was plenty of food but because we had starved for so long, we had to learn to eat normally again very gradually. Some people couldn’t control themselves and they became ill. It was too much of a shock to their system. We also received parcels from England, Canada and America. The organisation called U.N.R.A. who took care of all the people in the D.P. camps brought clothes and shoes. For us the D.P. Camp was a kind of convalescent camp. I became ill and had to go to hospital for lots of treatment. I had my eyes X-rayed, and also discovered I had ulcers. I was put on a strict diet for more than a year. In the camp I was
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