Auschwitz-Birkenau, a former Nazi concentration camp, is the largest factory of death in the history of humanity and a silent witness of human tragedy.

The death camp known as Konzentrations Lager Auschwitz-Birkenau was in fact the biggest Nazi death factory and it is the largest cemetery in the world. At the beginning only Slavic and Polish Jews were brought here and exterminated; later on the citizens of other countries met the same fate, predominately Jews from Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, France, Greece, Holland, Yugoslavia, Luxembourg, Germany, Rumania, Italy and the Soviet Union. Homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, gypsies, and socialists were also victims.

Those who avoided being killed by “Zyklon B” died from hunger, illnesses and exhaustion. Crematoria were built to make these crimes disappear without a trace. Despite that, we can still find tiny pieces of white bone near the ruins of crematoria. Nazis factories used human skin for soap production and hair for mattress production. 

Dr. Mengele carried out his experiments on those who were still alive. Even watching the documentary film from 1945 and looking at the preserved buildings and appliances together with documents and other evidence, it is hard to imagine that the whole tragedy happened here.

Out of millions of people brought here in 1940-44 only 60-70,000 utterly exhausted victims remained alive at the time of liberation.

On the site of the earlier camp, the International Auschwitz – Birkenau Museum of Martyrs was created in 1947. Exhibitions showing the camp history and the everyday life of prisoners are on display in some of the blocks. In others there are exhibitions dedicated to the martyrs of other nations – Jews, Poles, Russians, Gypsies and others.

Brzezinka camp is terrifying in its size. Here the tracks were ending … what was equivalent to the end of life for most people. To them the great monument is dedicated …

Distance: 65 km west from Cracow
Duration including lunch: approx. 7 - 8 hours