SOBIBÓR - Holocaust Handbooks

J. GRAF, T. KUES, C. MATTOGNO, SOBIBÓR 127
Arad writes that “the whole area was swampy, wooded, and thinly
populated.” 361 The 1933 map in fact shows symbols denoting marshland
in the immediate vicinity of the future camp I. 362 At the beginning of his
archeological survey in 2000, Kola identified an old drainage ditch at
the former eastern border of the camp, beyond which a marsh
emerges. 349 How high then was the ground water level in the area of the
“death camp proper”? During the 2001 survey of the former camp III
area, Kola and his team discovered the remains of a well filled with
sand (“Object C”) in the northern half of the hectare numbered XXV,
not far from the mass graves. When excavating this well, ground water
was encountered already at a depth of 3.60 m, and the work had to be
halted at a depth of 5 m because of the steady inflow of ground water.
The 1933 map reveals that the Sobibór station is found at an elevation
of 167 meters. Lake Spilno, about a kilometer to the west, has an
elevation of 164 meters, as is also the case with the swampy area located
north of the future camp area and the road to the village of
��obek, just to the west of the railroad. This was likely also the ground
water level. The brown contour lines around the camp area indicate that
it had a higher elevation. A look at a modern topographical map of Sobibór
363 in turn shows that the open, vaguely trapezoidal area with the
memorial mound, 364 where the mass graves are located, has an elevation
of 170 meters. 365 This means that the ground water level in this part of
camp III was found (170 – 164 =) 6 m below the surface. It is known,
however, that the ground water level varies with the seasons and rainfall
(or the thawing of snow). It is also possible that the average level was
somewhat different in 1942-43.
The location of the Sobibór camp was not chosen at random, but
carefully selected by the SS Central Construction Office of the Lublin
District. 366 The local Polish witness Jan Piwonski states that German of-
361 Y. Arad, op. cit. (note 49), p. 30.
362 That this was true also in the early 1940s is shown by the aforementioned sketch drawn
in custody by Kurt Bolender (see note 308), which has the word Moor (bog) written just
above (i.e. west of) the workshop area (= camp I).
363 Document 4, p. 403.
364 This monument is commonly referred to as the “mound of ashes” and described as containing
ashes from the victims. However, when Kola investigated its contents, he discovered
that it contains no human remains whatsoever; A. Kola, op. cit. (note 302), p. 91.
365 A comparison with a picture showing the present day memorial structures overlaid on the
Rutherford map (www.deathcamps.org/sobibor/pic/Sobibór.jpg) reveals that the small
round spot with an elevation of 171.5 m, to the west of the mound, is located outside of
the grave area.
366 Y. Arad, op. cit. (note 49), p. 30.