The Belene labour camp, also referred to as Belene concentration camp, was part of the network of

forced labour camps in Communist Bulgaria As in other Eastern Bloc states, the communist People's Republic of Bulgaria operated a network of forced labour camps between 1944 and 1989, with particular intensity until 1962. Tens of thousands of prisoners were sent to these institutions, o ...

. It was located on the

Belene Island Belene Island () or Persin Island () is the biggest island in Bulgarian waters. The island is formed by the Danube River splitting into two branches passing north and south of it. The international frontier between Bulgaria and Romania follows t ...

, between two branches of the

Danube river The Danube ( ; see also other names) is the second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest south into the Black Sea. A large and historically important riv ...

. At the height of

Valko Chervenkov Valko Velyov Chervenkov ...

's repressions in 1952, the camp had 2,323 inmates - 2,248 men and 75 women. The Belene Prison is still operating as a

penitentiary A prison, also known as a jail, gaol, penitentiary, detention center, correction center, correctional facility, or remand center, is a facility where people are Imprisonment, imprisoned under the authority of the State (polity), state, usually ...

in the western part of the island, while the eastern part is a managed

natural reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, funga, or features of geologi ...

. This camp operated officially from 1949 to 1959, though a break in deportations to Belene occurred from 1954 to 1956. Between 1985 and 1989

Turks in Bulgaria Bulgarian Turks (; ) are ethnic Turkish people from Bulgaria. According to the 2021 census, there were 508,375 Bulgarians of Turkish descent, roughly 8.4% of the population, making them the country's largest ethnic minority. Bulgarian Turks ...

who resisted the policy of changing Turkish names and surnames to Bulgarian ones, (see

Assimilation Campaign in Bulgaria Bulgarian Turks (; ) are ethnic Turkish people from Bulgaria. According to the 2021 census, there were 508,375 Bulgarians of Turkish descent, roughly 8.4% of the population, making them the country's largest ethnic minority. Bulgarian Turks ...

) were imprisoned in the prison on Belene. During those years, the

Turkish Radio and Television Corporation The Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT; Turkish: ) is the national public broadcasting, public broadcaster of Turkey, founded in 1964. TRT was for many years the only television and radio broadcaster in Turkey. Before the introductio ...

broadcast a series named "''Belene Adası''" (''Belene Island'') on the policies of the Bulgarian government against Bulgarian Turks. From 1949 onward, Evangelical Christian pastors in particular were targeted as "enemies of the State" and sent to Belene. In 1949, the infamous " Pastors' Trial" was conducted, trying 13 Protestant pastors as "spies". The men received sentences of varying lengths. Haralan Popov, who survived and later founded the mission "Door of Hope International" to bring Bibles behind the Iron Curtain, published his autobiography under the Bulgarian title "The Bulgarian Golgotha". It was later released in English as " Tortured for His Faith". The camp and some its survivors were the subject of a

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

by German TV program

ZDF ZDF (), short for (; ), is a German public-service television broadcaster based in Mainz, Rhineland-Palatinate. Launched on 1 April 1963, it is run as an independent nonprofit institution, and was founded by all federal states of Germany ( ...

''Vorwärts aber nie vergessen - Ballade über bulgarische Helden'' "Moving on, but Never Forgetting - A Ballad of Bulgarian Heroes" directed and authored by

Ilija Trojanow Ilija Trojanow (Bulgarian: Илия Троянов, also transliterated as Ilya Troyanov; born 23 August 1965 in Sofia) is a Bulgarian–German writer, translator and publisher. Life and literary career Trojanow was born in Sofia, Bulgaria in 1 ...

Notable inmates

* Haralan Popov (1949-1962) *

Konstantin Muraviev Konstantin Vladov Muraviev (; 5 March 1893 – 31 January 1965) was a leading member of the Agrarian People's Union who briefly served as Prime Minister of Bulgaria near the end of Bulgaria's involvement in the Second World War on the side of ...

(1956-1961) * Lea Ivanova (Late 70s) * Stoyko Kavrukov (Kavrukov and Perinchev-only successful escape-1953) ''Belene-The Island of the Forgotten'' by Nedyalko Geshev, published in Belgium - 1983 * Atanas Perinchev (Kavrukov and Perinchev-only successful escape-1953) ''Belene-The Island of the Forgotten'' by Nedyalko Geshev, published in Belgium - 1983

In popular culture

David, from ''

I Am David ''I am David'' is a 1963 novel by Anne Holm. It tells the story of a young boy who, with the help of a prison guard, escapes from a concentration camp in an unnamed Eastern European country and journeys to Denmark. Along the way, he meets many ...

'' escapes from Belene in 1952. However the camp shown in the film doesn't resemble the real Belene camp, as it is located inland in a mountainous area rather than on a river island.

References

{{Coord, 43, 39, 28, N, 25, 08, 18, E, region:BG-15_type:landmark_source:kolossus-dewiki, display=title Belene Political repression Forced labour by country Buildings and structures in Pleven Province People's Republic of Bulgaria Persecution of Balkan Turks