Auschwitz- Birkenau Camp
Auschwitz (pronounced 'Owsh vitz') was a major concentration camp in Poland. It was run by the Nazi's under the ruling of the famous German leader, Adolf Hitler. It is believed that 1.1 to 1.5 million people were murdered in this particular camp although many millions more were murdered altogether during World War 2. The main targets for the Nazi's were the Jews, Gypsies, Slavs and Poles. The Germans were putting their plan into place, to eliminate all Jews in Europe. Their aim was to create more living space for the Germans or 'Lebensraum'.
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Main Gate
Auschwitz was an extremely large camp, the biggest of them all. It covers 40 square kilometres in total consisting of seven gas chambers, three crematoriums, an area for new arrivals, a gypsy camp, a family camp, an area for sorting goods and a woman's camp.
Auschwitz was connected by many train lines running to the camp so Jews and others could be transported quick and efficiently from the various parts of Europe. The fittest prisoners were selected to be put to work while the weaker and elderly ones were sent to the gas chambers straight away to die. Once the more able prisoners tired and started to fall ill they would also be sent to the chambers. This cycle would go on and on until the death toll reached its highest point, today as we know was about 4 million.
The final solution was Hitler's plan to eliminate all Jews -man, woman and child under the German government's ruling. This law was used all through Germany, Poland and most of Europe to create more living space or 'Lebensraum' for the Germans. As Auschwitz- Birkenau was the largest camp in Poland and during World War 2 it heavily enforced this final solution.
