What purpose was the concentration camp supposed to serve in the eyes of the Polish government?
Ukrainians were placed in Bereza to be “re-educated,” that is, to learn not to oppose policies of Polonization and not to resist Polish rule. It was a way of terrorizing Ukrainians and trying to get them to stop attaining an independent homeland. Most of them were there for three months, but some for a year and a half. Some died in the camp. The camp commander was Col. Yanush Kostek-Biernacki and his subordinate was B. Grefner, who was later replaced by I. Kamalia. I might add that in a declaration of September 13, 1934, Poland denounced the treaty on the protection of national minorities at the League of Nations. Q: You said earlier that various ethnic groups were incarcerated. Which group predominated in the camp? A: Well, that depends on the year. Towards 1939 the majority were Ukrainians. In 1934 the population of the camp was about 250 people, but by September 1939 there were between 5,000 and 8,000 people, the majority of whom were Ukrainians. Just imagine the conditions, too. Th
