History of Brest in the Pinkas HaKehillot Polin (10)
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World War I*
In May 1915 during World War I, the frontline was very close to Brest. Thousands of Jews were recruited for fortification labor but this was done in an unorganized manner, so they soon returned home. On August 1st 1915 General Lyeming, the commander of the Brisk fortress ordered the evacuation of the city until August the 5th. The inhabitants were not allowed to take with them much of their belongings, especially food, which was abundant in the city. After the inhabitants left the city, the Russian troops started to loot the houses and in August 24th and 25th the Cossacks started to systematically burn the city's houses. Out of the 3,670 houses in Brest, about 2,000 were damaged. The Austro-Hungarian army entered the city and extinguished the fires, but added to the destruction by dismantling the bricks from the damaged houses and sending them to the west. Brest's inhabitants, who fled to the nearby villages, came back to their city and elected a city council. Shortly afterward, the Germans began to expel the inhabitants of Brest to Congress Poland and they turned the city into a military town and to a camp for prisoners-of-war.

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Page Last Updated: 01-Feb-2010