This is an online gallery of photos taken by Dr Endre Szánto (1908-1989) and his brother Ervin Szántó (1911-1942) during their internment and forced labour service in Hungary and northern Transylvania, from September to December 1940.

The photos depict forced labourers and officers, landscapes, street scenes, and snapshots of everyday life in northern Transylvania, including rare images of local Orthodox Jewish communities.

This site also tells the story of the two brothers’ experience of forced labour using the diary that Endre kept.

Website functions

You can explore the photos in detail in Browse, and sort by photographer, location and keyword. Galleries contain photos grouped according to theme, such as work, discipline, portraits, or Jewish life. You can also follow the brothers’ journeys from the internment camp just outside Budapest to northern Transylvania using the Map.

Each photo has a title, approximate date and location, description, keywords, and where possible, historical context, as well as photo description for blind and partially sighted people (alternative text).

You can read more about the project here.