Nazi guards confiscated eyeglasses from prisoners almost immediately upon arrival at the camps.

Nazi guards confiscated eyeglasses from prisoners almost immediately upon arrival at the camps.

As soon as the cattle trains arrived at Auschwitz, the SS guards ordered everyone out and told them to dump anything they had with them. In the Nazi hierarchy, humanity was not sacred.

All personal property belonged to the state and was destined to become part of the German war effort.

All confiscated glasses were collected in large warehouses, Kanada, and sorted by the prisoner workforce. If the frames had any proportion of gold or silver, the SS would melt the metal for the Reich's treasury. Other frames were sorted according to the degree of inscription and sent to Germany with the prisoners' labor.

If the prisoner was sent directly to the gas chamber, his glasses could be found in the undressing room. Still, there was a good chance to retain possession of the frames if the camp guards allowed the prisoner to work sort of glasses. However, the guards could also beat the prisoner to death, smashing his glasses. It is essential for a near-sighted prisoner to have his eyesight corrected.

Otherwise, he cannot see an approaching SS guard and is at risk of a severe beating or even death.

In his famous work Night , Elie Wiesel describes how terrifying it was to lose personal belongings at the hands of Nazi guards on the day of his arrival at Auschwitz. Italian-Jewish writer Primo Levi wrote that the loss of eyesight was one of the most debilitating experiences for a person at the concentration camp.

The soldiers of the Red Army found tens of thousands of spectacles in the warehouses of Auschwitz when they marched into the city in January 1945. The sight of this pile of glass frames is still available to behold in the Auschwitz Museum. I’d appreciate an upvote if you find it helpful and informative.