German and Axis Prisoners of War in Lithuania in 1944–1949

Between 1944 and 1949, around 90,000 German and Axis prisoners of war – Romanians, Hungarians, Italians and citizens of other European countries – were imprisoned in the territory of Lithuania. POW camps were established in larger towns in Lithuania (Vilnius, Kaunas, Klaipėda, Šiauliai and Šilutė) in the detention institutions or labour camps (Kaunas Fort VI, Šilutė [Macikai] Nazi POW camp) located next to railway stations and main roads. Forced labour of prisoners was used to help Lithuanians rebuild towns, industrial sites, bridges, power plants, and Klaipėda Seaport; they worked in various organisations and enterprises. The topic of German and Axis prisoners of war is one of the blank spots in the history of Lithuania of modern times.