April 1945, A pile of shoes belonging to prisoners who perished in Bergen-Belsen, Germany

British soldiers in Bergen-Belsen took the photograph after the liberation of the camp in April 1945.

Originally designed as a prisoner of war and transit camp, Bergen-Belsen was designed to hold 10,000 prisoners. The week before the camp was liberated, the camp had approximately 41,000 prisoners. Some 35,000 to 40,000 inmates died in Bergen-Belsen of starvation, overcrowding, hard labor and disease or were killed. On April 15, 1945, the British Army liberated Bergen-Belsen.

Yad Vashem Photo Archives 1201