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The Auschwitz Death Camp in Oswiecim

The Auschwitz Death Camp in Oswiecim was the largest scene of the Holocaust. About one million Jews, and many Poles, Soviets, Gypsies and people of other nationalities were either starved to death or simply murdered in the gas chambers of Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau. Now, the partly destroyed concentration camp remains a grim symbol of the biggest tragedy of the 20^th century. The tour of Auschwitz is a thrilling experience.

The 'Polish Death Camp' Mistake

Auschwitz is often called the 'Polish death camp' – this name is obviously wrong and somewhat misleading, as it suggests that the biggest Nazi German concentration camp was placed in Poland with some sort of permission, or even approval, from the Polish. In fact, the reasons were purely economical – Poland had the biggest Jewish population in Europe (over 3,3 million in 1939) and its geographical position made it easy and cheap for the Nazis to transport the prisoners to the camps. The occupied Polish nation had nothing to say – and, in fact, the Polish were the second largest ethnic group to be murdered in the camps. The term 'Polish death camp' is also clearly contradicted by the name Auschwitz was given, when it was included in the UNESCO list of World Heritage: the 'German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp'.

The History of Auschwitz

When the Auschwitz concentration camp was created in 1940, it was to be simply one of the many Nazi camps that were scattered around Europe, gathering prisoners of war and other inconvenient figures. It was placed near the little town of Oswiecim (renamed Auschwitz by the Germans after the invasion) in the former Polish Army barracks. Over the years, it was enlarged to consist of three main camps (Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II – Birkenau and Auschwitz III – Monowitz) and about 40 subcamps.

In spring 1942 the Nazis started the first gas chamber, and the Auschwitz camp turned into a death camp. From then on, most Jews deported to Oswiecim were murdered immediately after their arrival. In the five years of the camp's existence, about 1.1 to 1.5 million people – including about 0.9 million Jews – died, most of them in gas chambers.

The Auschwitz and Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum Tours

After the liberation of the camp in 1945, Auschwitz-Birkenau was soon turned into a museum commemorating the victims of the Holocaust. Since then, over 30 million people have come to Oswiecim to see the remains of the camp. From the 1990s on, about 0.5 million people come to Auschwitz every year, half of them Poles, another half mostly from the US, Germany, Great Britain, France, Italy and Israel.

Visitors can see virtually all the facilities of the two big camps – Auschwitz I and Auschwitz-Birkenau, including the gas chambers, crematoria and the ramshackle barracks in which the prisoners were forced to live. The tour of each of the camps takes at least 1.5 hours, and since some of the places have a limited capacity, it's better to plan a longer stay.

The visit is free, however groups of over 10 people should hire a headphone guiding system for 4 zloty per person. Guided tours in 15 languages, including English, German, French, Spanish, Italian and Japanese cost from 140 zloty for a 3,5-hour tour for 10 people up to 336 zloty for an 8-hour tour for 30 persons. Various books and brochures, and a ticket to the cinema presenting a 15 minute documentary about the liberation of the Auschwitz camps, can be bought at the information office.

Getting from Krakow to Auschwitz

To ensure that your visit in Auschwitz is full and comortable, book the Auschwitz tour straight from our Krakow Tours section.

Getting to Oswiecim from Krakow is fairly easy. By car, just take the road no. 44. The 50-kilometer trip shouldn't take more than an hour, once you manage to get out of Krakow.

Trains leave from the Krakow Train Station about once an hour, and they reach Oswiecim after about 90 minutes.

Buses from the Krakow Bus Station leave at least twice an hour between 7a.m. and 9p.m., and the trip takes 60-90 minutes. There are several bus stops in Oswiecim, it's best to get off at the one called Auschwitz Muzeum Parking.