Corlățel, Deportation of Sedentary Roma – Translated

Village Name: Corlățel (commune, Mehedinți County)

Region, Country: Oltenia Region (Romania)

Deportation Date: September 1942

Excerpt from Testimony:

“The witness and their family were taken by Romanian gendarmes and locked in a large school in Turnu–Severin, where they stayed for two days, after which they were placed in freight wagons at the Șimian station. They were only allowed to take with them what they had on their person. The family was placed in a wagon with straw on the floor, where many other families were crowded together.
They passed through Odesa, but they were not allowed to get off the train. They arrived in Varvaliovka, a locality near the Bug River. They were given little food and traveled through 3–4 villages on their own initiative; the interviewee does not recall their names. However, what is
remembered is the hunger they faced throughout their time in Transnistria. Her parents, sister, and brother died during the deportation. The rest of the families returned to the country by train after the war.”

Romanian Archives (if available): N/A

Historical Note on the Roma:

The commune of Corlățel is located in Mehedinți County, about 40 km from Drobeta Turnu–Severin.
At the end of the 19th century, the commune had a population of about 800 inhabitants (MDGR 1899, II: 650). In the 1930 general census, 1,366 inhabitants were recorded in the commune, of which 11 were Roma (RGP 1930, II: 278–279). The commune hosted a series of annual fairs, attracting nomadic “caldărari” groups who sold household items and products made of aluminum, copper, and iron.