Album from the Gurs internment camp

After the end of the Spanish Civil War, French authorities interned nearly 20,000 refugees from Spain in the notorious Gurs camp in the foothills of the Pyrenees. They included a large number of former members of the International Brigades, especially those from countries to which they could not return because they would have been subjected to harsh repression by the authoritarian regimes or by occupying forces that had taken control of their countries since they had left.

Among them were Czechoslovaks. Originally there were more than six hundred, and their numbers decreased only very slightly during the spring and summer of 1939. Some agreed to join the French Foreign Legion, others were granted permission to evacuate to the Soviet Union, some found work or other guarantees and were released, and a few individuals managed to escape. Conscription into the Czechoslovak exile army took place here in December 1939, with 383 of the internees joining its ranks.

Life in the camp was quite harsh. However, inadequate food, poor sanitary conditions, and insufficient accommodation did not drive most of the internees into passivity. Within the limits of their possibilities, cultural performances of various genres were organized, as well as sports competitions or language lessons. The biggest event organised by the internees themselves was the celebration of the French national holiday on 14 July 1939, where the internees wished to demonstrate their loyalty to France, but also their resilience, determination, unity, and their moral, intellectual and physical qualities.

Intellectuals and artists among the interned Czechoslovaks made an important contribution to these activities. A was created small edition of five copies of an album was created to remind the exiled Czechoslovak and French authorities of the difficult conditions of the former fighters from Spain. In addition to genre scenes, the twenty-seven pages, two of which are shown here, depict individual problems of camp life – hygiene, food, accommodation, sanitary and medical care, spiritual matters, work inside and outside the camp, sports and cultural activities, as well as the camp plan and its French staff. Somewhat surprisingly, the album comes across as non-confrontational, almost giving the impression of mutual understanding and idyllic cooperation between camp staff and internees. However, it is important to realize that the artist used this "soft approach" with purpose of convincing French authorities to change their attitudes toward internees and improve their living conditions.

ZM