STALAG VIII A Memorial, Zgorzelec

The main camp VIII A Görlitz-Moys (today: Zgorzelec-Ujazd) was the first STALAG at the military district VIII Breslau and one of 220 camps in the German Reich. A total of about 120,000 prisoner-of-war soldiers of various nations passed through this camp during the Second World War. Thousands of whom perished during captivity. Prisoners of war and other forced labourers had a significant impact on the cityscape of Görlitz and the entire region during this period, as they were used as cheap labour in almost all branches of industry. A historical event in Stalag VIII A was the composition and ultimately the premiere of the QUARTET ON THE END OF TIME by the French composer Olivier Messiaen. The first performance of the quartet took place on 15 January 1941, a cold January night, in the presence of about 400 prisoners of war and camp guards. The performance venue was the so-called theatre barrack - Barrack 27 B - in the camp. Messiaen's masterpiece is now one of the most performed chamber music works of the 20th century. The fact that Messiaen composed it as a prisoner in Stalag VIII A under the most primitive conditions only adds to the piece's reputation. Around 15 January, in memory of all those who suffered and hoped in this camp, Meetingpoint Music Messiaen e.V. organises the annual International Messiaen Days - a festival with artists who bring the existential power of music to life in a variety of ways.