Location of Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II and Auschwitz III
Auschwitz
w was located in
Map of South Poland and was also known as
Auschwitz Birkenau. Both built and operated by
the Third Reich, Auschwitz was made
up of German Nazi concentration
camps and extermination camps.
Concentration Camp: Auschwitz
Out of all of the Nazi concentration
and death camps, Auschwitz was
the largest. The main reason for
the camp was because of the fact
Sign viewed when entering the camp which translated
that the number of Poles arrested,
read, "work will give you freedom."
exceeded the space of local
prisons.
Soldiers of the Soviet Union in
the First Army of the Ukrainian
Front (under the command of
Marshal Koniev) liberated the
Auschwitz camps on January 27,
1945. After the liberation of all
three camps, the survivors were
on their own. The Auschwitz
prisoners were made to find their
own way home after their
Women survivors huddled after release.
liberation of the Auschwitz camp.
Auschwitz consisted of three main
After the buildings within the concentration camps: Auschwitz I in April 1940,
camp were built, the Nazis fit
Auschwitz II in October 1941 and
approximately 800 to 1,000 people in each Auschwitz III in October 1942.
barrack. A section of the barracks were
also designated to woman where it held
15,000 women prisoners.
All the camps were isolated by the Germans and
The most concise estimation of the amount they were surrounded by barbed wire fencing.
of prisoners held in the Auschwitz Any contact with the outside world was
concentration camp complex was Jews: prohibited.
1,095,000, Poles: 147,000, Roma: 23,000,
Soviet prisoners of war: 15,000 and other
nationalities: 25,000. Of these numbers,
the amount of prisoners killed were, Jews:
960,000, Poles: 74,000, Roma: 21,000,
Soviet prisoners of war: all 15,000 and
other nationalities: 12,000.
Estimations show that at least 1.3 million
people were deported to the camp by the
SS and police. 1.1 million prisoners were
murdered by the camp authorities.
Prisoners of Auschwitz