Birkenau Concentration Camp

Birkenau Concentration Camp

Introduction   Although this was a concentration camp, it was meticulously planned, forming a complex of camps within a camp. At its peak, the camp held up to 100,000 prisoners in August 1944. The conditions here were far harsher than those at Auschwitz I—there was a shortage of water, the area was filthy, and infested with rats. After the construction of large gas chambers and crematoria, it became the Nazis’ largest killing factory. Today, the Birkenau site is overgrown with grass, and it welcomes thousands of visitors every year, many from Germany. They silently take in the surroundings, listening as Polish guides explain the history. Features   Just three kilometers away from Auschwitz I lies another camp—Birkenau. Covering an area of 175 hectares, the Nazis built 300 wooden barracks on this open land. Today, only 45 brick barracks and 22 wooden barracks remain.

Oswiecim, Poland