Formerly, (from 1943- January 1945) the camp in Świętochłowice operated as a labour subcamp Arbeitslager Eintrachtshütte of KL Auschwitz. On capture the NKVD transfered the facility to Ministry of Public Security & Col. Salomon Morel [see blog post] became the commander of the renamed Zgoda camp on March 15, 1945.

The Nazi camp was evacuated by the Germans before January, 23, 1945, leaving its infrastructure intact and after a few weeks the camp was restored by the NKVD, disinfected, and repopulated (in February 1945) with Silesian-inhabitants from Kattowitz/Katowice, Bielitz/Bielsko and Neisse/Nysa.

The decision to treat Silesian civilians as Germans were motivated by prior dealings with the General Gouvernement [conquered Poland] Volksdeutsche [In Nazi terminology : people whose language and culture had German origins but who did not hold German citizenship] & did not take into account local Silesian conditions.

About 6,000 persons were imprisoned at the Zgoda camp: 1/3 of them Germans (1,733 in August 1945 along with those from Upper Silesia)