 Buchenwald’s first commandant was SS-"Obersturmbannführer" Karl-Otto Koch, who ran the camp from 1 August 1937 to July 1941.His second wife, Ilse Koch, became notorious as "Die Hexe von Buchenwald" ("the witch of Buchenwald") for her cruelty and brutality.In February 1940 Koch had an indoor riding hall built by the prisoners who died by the dozen due to the harsh conditions of the construction site.