Sweden and the Holocaust

During the summer and spring of 1945, tens of thousands of survivors came to Sweden. Already at the end of the war, the first rescue operation was sent down to Germany. During the summer, the evacuation of the most seriously ill continued. When the Nazi camps were liberated, the outside world began to understand the extent of the disaster.

Europe lay in ruins and only rubble remained of the once rich Jewish life. Those who survived carried with them memories of family members who had been murdered, vanished communities and a lost world. Some of them stayed in Sweden and started a new life here. Their experiences are part of Swedish history and are part of the story of the Holocaust and Sweden.

Reception and emergency hospitals in Sweden

The map shows places where Holocaust survivors were received and cared for at the end of World War II. Several survivors were sent directly to the Epidemic Hospital in Roslagstull as a result of the Nazis' actions. In the map you will find, in addition to epidemic hospitals, also emergency hospitals, reception and refugee camps and war hospitals.

Want to know more about people who came to Sweden? Go to Lost Voices

The map will be updated with more places.

There were hundreds of places in Sweden where former concentration camp prisoners came, from Skåne to Västernorrland. You can read about more emergency hospitals and reception places in the book Den medicinska spärren: smitta och gränsarbete i skuggan av Förintelsen (Makadam förlag, 2023).

Would you like to tell us about any of the places above or share something about other places that took in survivors? The museum is collecting stories and objects.

About Donations

Header photo: Detail of Lilli's and Walter's passports and other documents. Photo: Ola Myrin, Swedish Holocaust Museum/SHM.

Reference list

Britta Zetterström Geschwind, Markus Idvall, Fredrik Nilsson: Den medicinska spärren: smitta och gränsarbete i skuggan av Förintelsen (Makadam förlag, 2023).