In 1940, the Germans established a forced labor camp in the village of Góra Święta Anna (in 1936–1945: Annaberg), 4 km north of Leśnica. It was one of 16 labor camps that were established in Opole Silesia along the Wrocław - Katowice highway (Reichsautobahn, RAB 29). Initially, Polish forced laborers from the territories incorporated into Germany were placed in the camp. In the fall of 1940, groups of Jews from the ghettos in Będzin, Sosnowiec and Czeladź began to be brought there en masse.
When Germany attacked the Soviet Union in June 1941, the German army had to solve the problem of the large number of Soviet prisoners of war. For this reason, in the summer of 1941, Jews were removed from the labor camp in Góra Święta Anna and in August the first group of 500 Soviet prisoners of war was brought to their place. The high mortality rate among prisoners of war during the winter of 1941/1942 resulted in Jewish workers being sent to the camp again in the spring of 1942.
On November 27, 1942, the camp in Góra Święta Anna was transformed into a camp for sick Jews (Juden-Krankenlager). Sick workers were placed there for whom there was hope for quick recovery and the possibility of re-employment. The camp for sick Jews operated for 7 months. During this time, 54 Jewish prisoners died there. In June 1943, the sick camp was transferred to the German Nazi forced labor camp in Prądy. In August, it was closed down and the sick and those unable to work were sent to the German Nazi concentration camp Auschwitz-Birkenau.
In August 1943, SS-Brigadenfuchr Schmelt's post moved from Sosnowiec to the Góra Święta Anna camp. Together with a group of German officers from Schmelt's staff, 24 Jews were brought to the camp as support staff. They were joined by 300 prisoners from the liquidated ghetto in Sosnowiec. Due to the abandonment of the highway construction, the prisoners were employed at the nearby Schaffgotsch chemical plant in Zdzieszowice.
1The camp was liquidated in January 1945. All prisoners were then led on a "death march" west.