Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

CRACOW 195

The “Wall of Death”

This is a reconstruc tion

of the wall near Block

11 used for summary

executions carried out

by a firing squad. It

now serves as a place

of remembrance.

Maksymilian Kolbe

This Franciscan priest who,

was later canon ized, chose

to die to save another

inmate’s life here. He was

given death by starvation.

Roll Call Square

Roll call took place up to three times a day

and could last for hours. Eventually, due

to the large number of pri so ners, roll call

was taken in front of individual barracks.

Camp

kitchen

Information Centre

for visitors

Block 11, the central jail, was where the

first experiments with gas were carried

out in 1941.

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST

75 km (50 miles) W of Cracow.

Map E2. £ to Oświęcim, then

@ 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29. #

Dec–Feb: 8am–3pm; Mar & Nov:

8am–4pm; Apr & Oct: 8am–5pm;

May & Sep: 8am–6pm; Jun–Aug:

8am–7pm. ¢ 1 Jan, Easter Day,

25 Dec. 8 call in advance, fee

applies. Note: Shuttle bus to

Birkenau runs hourly; leaving

from the Information Centre.

http://www.auschwitz.org.pl

1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945

Store containing

the poison,

Zyklon B, used

to kill prisoners.

1939
On 1 Sep,
Hitler
invades
Poland

1940 First

deportation of

German Jews into

Nazi-occupied

Poland

TIMELINE

1940 Oświęcim

chosen as the

site of the Nazis’

new concen -

tration camp

1941 Himmler

makes first visit

to Auschwitz

and orders its

expansion

1941 Hitler reported to have

ordered the “Final Solution”

1941 First

gas chamber

goes into

operation

1942 First section

of Birkenau camp

completed

1942

Beginning

of mass

deportation to

Auschwitz

1943 Four gas chambers

built for mass murder

1944 As the Soviet

Army closes in on

Auschwitz, the SS

begin destroying

all evi dence of

the camp

1945 18 Jan, 56,000 prisoners

evacuated on “Death March”

1945 27 Jan,

Soviet soldiers

liberate the

few remaining

prisoners at

Auschwitz

1945 7 May,

Germany

finally sur-

renders to

the Allies