Euronews / Video Capture
The violin, nicknamed “Violin of Hope”, was built by a musical instrument artisan and is the only known that was made entirely within the concentration camp.
A remarkable discovery is revealing details about the lives of prisoners in the Nazi concentration camp of Dachau, in eve of the 80th anniversary of your liberation.
According to advance, a hidden note, written for over 80 years by the Jewish prisoner Franciszek “Franz” Kempawas found inside a violin that he made while in the Nazi field, revealing the only known musical instrument made within the walls of Dachau.
The violin, built in 1941, went unnoticed for decades until he reappeared in Hungary, stored between furniture bought by local art traders. When the instrument was sent to be repaired, its unusual characteristics – a Specialized handicraft work coupled with low quality wood and rudimentary construction-led the restorer to dismantle it. Inside, they found the secret note of Kempa:
“Test instrument, manufactured in difficult conditionswithout tools and materials. Dachau. Anno 1941, Franciszek Kempa ”.
The discovery highlights the extraordinary ability of resistance and ability of a man determined to preserve his identity as a master violin builder under terrible circumstances. Nazis often allowed music in concentration camps as an instrument of propaganda, falsely portraying a human environment. However, unlike other instruments that were brought to Dachau by the prisoners, it is believed that the Violin of Kempa is The only one built entirely within the field.
According to Dachau Memorial documentation, Kempa survived the war, returned to Poland from where she was Christmas, and continued to make instruments until her death in 1953. her recognized expertise in the manufacture of instruments may have contributed to her survival, according to Hungarian art dealer Tamás Talosi. “We called him the ‘violin of hope‘”Said Tálosi, stressing that the act of manufacturing could give psychological strength in unbearable conditions.
The rediscovery of the violin occurs at a time when the world is preparing to celebrate the 80th anniversary of Dachau’s Liberation, May 4. Founded in 1933, near Munich, Dachau became a model for the Nazi concentration camp system. Initially intended for political prisoners, later housed Jews, Gypsies, Clerics, LGBTQ+ individuals and others targeted by the regime. It is estimated that about 40 000 people died on site before its release by US forces on April 29, 1945.
