There was no heating in the barracks although temperatures dropped to −17 °C (1 °F) in the winter. Rations were poor, though eventually some Red Cross packages were sent over from Stalag IX-C, the prisoners lacked any means of cooking, and had to improvise as well as they could. They burnt paper, cardboard and wood chips in empty tin cans to boil water, but this practice was soon prohibited by the camp authorities.