Trawnik

Trawniki is a village and the seat of Gmina Trawniki in Świdnik County, Lublin Voivodeship, in eastern Poland. It lies southeast of Lublin and is known in history primarily for the Nazi-era training facility established near the village during World War II.

In 1941, the Nazis created a training camp at Trawniki to prepare a large corps of auxiliary guards for the German police and security apparatus. The recruits, drawn largely from Soviet prisoners of war and other Eastern Europeans, became known as Trawniki men (Hiwi). Thousands passed through the camp, receiving instruction in weapons, guard duties, and policing tasks to support German operations across occupied territories.

The Trawniki guards were deployed with Schutzstaffel and police formations in Poland, Belarus, Ukraine, and other areas. They assisted in roundups, mass shootings, and the deportation of Jews and other groups, becoming a significant component of the broader system of persecution and murder carried out by Nazi Germany in the Holocaust.

The camp operated until 1944, when advancing Allied forces and the Soviet Red Army led to its evacuation and closure. After the war, some former guards faced prosecution in postwar trials in Poland and other jurisdictions. Today, the site is the subject of historical research and memorial remembrance, serving as a reminder of the role of local facilities in the Nazi machinery of occupation and genocide.