Exhibition description

Wooden shoes.
Wood. Germany. 20th century.
Wooden shoes (kolodianky) were used as special footwear for forced labour in Hitler's Germany, and were called holzschuhe in concentration camps. They were made from cheap materials, were unsuitable for walking, and did not protect the feet from cold, moisture, or injury. They were a symbol of the degradation of human dignity and part of the system of terror in concentration camps.