Though the legacy of World War II Nazi death camps looms over Europe, a lesser-known camp network arose after the war with a diametrically opposed vision: to give traumatized populations a new lease on life. Established by the victorious Allies, displaced-persons (DP) camps housed about 250,000 people in the immediate post-war years. Located in Germany, Austria and Italy, these camps served as "temporary homelands in exile, divided by nationality, with their own police forces, churches and synagogues, schools, newspapers, theaters and infirmaries," writes historian David Nasaw.