Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

CRACOW 197

THE LIBERATION OF THE CAMPS

With the war all but lost, in mid-January

1945 the Nazi authorities gave the order for

all the camps to be destroyed. However,

only a part of Birkenau could be destroyed

before the collapse of the German Army.

Between 17 and 21 January, more than

56,000 inmates were evacuated by the

Nazis and forced to march west, but many

died en route. When the Soviet Army

entered the camps on 27 January 1945,

they found just 7,000 survivors.

Kanada

This was the nickname of the

barracks where property stolen

from prisoners was stored. It

was the preferred place to work

at Auschwitz II-Birkenau as it

offered opportunities for

inmates to pilfer items to barter

for food or medicine later.

The Sauna

New arrivals selected for work

were deloused and disinfected

in this building, which became

known as the “sauna”. Periodic

disinfection of existing prisoners

was also carried out here.

Survivors of Auschwitz II-Birkenau, filmed

by Soviet troops

Men’s

barracks,

with about 500

to 600 people living

in each building.

THE CAMP RECONSTRUCTION

In 1944, Birkenau had more than 90,000

prisoners, the majority of whom were

exterminated. It was the largest concen-

tration camp in Nazi-occupied Europe.

From the unloading ramp to the gas

chambers, the crematoria to the ash dump-

ing grounds, the whole process of murder

was carried out systematically and on a

huge scale. This reconstruction shows the

camp at its peak in 1944, when as many

as 5,000 people were killed every day.

The Ash Pond

Tonnes of ash – the remains of hundreds of

thousands of Auschwitz victims – were

dumped in ponds and troughs dug around

the outskirts of the camp.

Hell’s Gate

Area of expansion,

nicknamed “Mexico”,

was never completed.