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Arbeit macht frei sign on the entrance to Auschwitz-Birkenau

Auschwitz-Birkenau is the generic name given to the cluster of concentration, labour and extermination camps established by the Nazis during the Second World War and located near the towns of Oświęcim and Brzezinka in southern Poland, some 60 km from Kraków. The camps have become a place of pilgrimage for survivors, their families and all who wish to travel to remember the Holocaust.

Understand

Although not the only (or, indeed, the first) German concentration and extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a widespread symbol of terror, genocide and the Holocaust in the global consciousness.

A concentration camp was established by the Nazis in the suburbs of the Polish cities of Oświęcim and Brzezinka which - like the rest of Poland - was occupied by the Germans from the beginning of the Second World War (1939) till it was liberated in 1945 near the war's end. The name of the city of Oświęcim was changed ('germanized') to Auschwitz, as well as the name of Brzezinka - Birkenau; which became the name of the camp as well.

The camp was continually expanded over the next 5 years and ultimately consisted of 3 main parts: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. Auschwitz-Birkenau also had over 40 sub-camps in the neighboring cities and in the surrounding area. Initially, only Poles and Jews were imprisoned, enslaved and murdered in the camp. Subsequently, Soviet prisoners of war ('POWs'), Romani/Sinti (Gypsies), and prisoners of other nationalities and minorities were also incarcerated, enslaved and murdered there.

From 1942 onwards, the camp became the site of one of the greatest mass murders in the history of humanity, committed against the European Jews as part of Hitler's plan for the complete destruction of that people ('the Final Solution'). The vast majority of the Jewish men, women and children deported from their homes all over occupied Europe to Auschwitz-Birkenau were sent immediately to their deaths in the Birkenau gas chambers upon arrival, usually trained in in overcrowded cattle wagons. Their bodies were afterwards cremated in industrial furnaces in the crematoria.

At the end of the war, in an effort to remove the traces of the crimes they had committed, the SS began dismantling and razing the gas chambers, crematoria, and other buildings, as well as burning documents. Prisoners capable of marching were evacuated into the depths of the German Reich. Those who remained behind in the camp and survived long enough were liberated by Red Army soldiers on 27 January 1945.

A 2 July 1947 Act of the post-war Polish Parliament established the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the grounds of the two extant parts of the camp, Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau.

The site was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1979.

Get in

Barracks in Auschwitz II-Birkenau

By bus

There are quite frequent and inexpensive buses (11 złoty each way) to and from the main bus station in Kraków and minibuses (8 złoty each way) that depart from the basement level of the main bus station. The bus takes about one and a half hours; it is usually busy and stops locally along the way.

By car

Driving from Kraków takes about one hour and you have to leave the A4 motorway at the Oświęcim/Balin exit. There is a big parking lot in Auschwitz I that costs 8 złoty for the whole day. 200 metres from Auschwitz II there is another parking lot that costs 2 złoty per hour, but also free space for around 40 cars near the main door.

By train

The train station of Oświęcim is about 2 km from the museum and there are public town buses connecting them (PLN2,70). There are several local trains each day, both from Kraków and from Katowice, about each 1 1/2-2 hours. The trip to or from Kraków central station takes a leisurely 2 hours, as the train goes slow and stops frequently, and costs PLN9,50.

Organized tours

Several companies provide tours from Kraków for around 100 złoty. They advertise heavily so you'll have no problem finding one. These tours involve a minibus pick-up from anywhere in Kraków, and a few hours' guided tour.

Entrance

Entrance is free, without a ticket, though donations are encouraged. Be aware that because of the large numbers of visitors entry to the Auschwitz-I site is exclusively on a guided group basis from 10AM to 3PM during the period from April 1 to October 31.

You can visit the site on your own (highly recommended because you can go at your own pace, see what you want to see and have a much more meaningful experience) if you arrive before 10AM. Another option is to visit the Auschwitz II-Birkenau site first and then return after 3PM to the first camp to avoid having to use the tour. The Auschwitz II-Birkenau site is open for visitors without the guide during the opening hours of the Memorial.

Opening hours

The museum is open all year long, seven days a week, except January 1, December 25, and Easter Sunday. The museum is open during the following hours:

  • 8AM–3PM December through February
  • 8AM–4PM March, November
  • 8AM–5PM April, October
  • 8AM–6PM May, September
  • 8AM–7PM June, July, August

Get around

The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum is easily navigated on foot. In order to acquire a proper sense of the place it is essential to visit both parts of the camp.

Tours provided by the museum in various languages cost 40 złoty (discounted price for students up to 24 years of age is 30 złoty) and are recommended if you want a deeper understanding of the site, but they are unfortunately somewhat rushed, and you can get a pretty good feel by buying a guidebook and map (small simple guide costs 5 złoty) and wandering around on your own.

Each exhibit is described in Polish with other language translations. The scope of the evil and terror that occurred here is almost unimaginable and a guide can help to put in context what a room full of human hair or what a thousand pairs of infant shoes means. They'll also tell you about former prisoners who have returned to see the museum.

There are toilets at the Auschwitz-I site which cost 1 złoty to use. At Auschwitz II-Birkenau there are free toilets at the back of the camp.

Between camps

  • In the summer months there is a free shuttle bus between Auschwitz and Birkenau that goes every half hour (from Auschwitz to Birkenau it leaves on the hour at half hourly intervals and going the opposite way it is 15 minutes of the hour at half hourly intervals).
  • You can just walk the two miles between the camps (although it isn't a very nice walk as it is along the roads).
  • A taxi between the sites will cost about 15 złoty.

See

  • Auschwitz I was the first camp to be used (therefore called Stammlager). It consists of old Polish military barracks. Inside some of them you will find information material, boards, photos and personal belongings to illustrate the life and cruelties of this camp. The only remaining gas chamber is here but note that, as indicated in the chamber, it was reconstructed to its wartime layout after the war.
Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp
Crematorium at Auschwitz
  • Main Building The entrance to Auschwitz I has a museum with a theater where a 15 minute film is shown, shot by Ukrainian troops the day after the camp was liberated. It's too graphic for children (if indeed you bring them to Auschwitz-Birkenau at all), and costs 3.5 zł (included in the price of a guided tour). Showings between 11 and 5 (in English at the hour and polish at the half hour). Highly recommended, but disturbing. Bookstores and bathrooms are here. Consider buying a 5 zł guidebook or 5 zł map.
  • Auschwitz-Birkenau was the second camp and is around 3km from Auschwitz I. You can still see the entrance gate, the railway track and ramp and many old barracks. The site is huge. You can also see the buildings where incoming prisoners were shaved and given their "new" clothing, the ruins of the four crematoria and gas chamber complexes, ponds where the ashes of thousands of people were dumped without ceremony, and a memorial site. Note that walking through the whole site may take several hours. Some visitors find the experience harrowing. If visiting during cooler months, be aware that in the evening, the temperature drops very quickly across such a flat open space.

Do

  • Participate in one of the guided tours of the site
  • Visit on your own a day or two after a guided tour. A guided tour may be a bit rushed to fully experience the emotions of the place.

Events

  • March of the Living — Silent march of thousands of people from around the world from Auschwitz to Birkenau each year on Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom HaShoah, after Passover).
  • Anniversary of Liberation of Auschwitz. January 27 (International Holocaust Remembrance Day). Official commemoration with Auschwitz survivors and Israeli, Polish and other officials.

Eat

There's a basic cafe and cafeteria in the main visitors' centre of Auschwitz I and a coffee machine in the bookshop at Birkenau. More options are in a commercial complex across the street from Auschwitz I, although the quality of one (the Art Hamburger) is rather poor, but a cheap and quick eat. There are hot dog stalls and similar outlets outside the main museum at the end of the bus/car park, with food and drink combinations costing 10-12 .

Sleep

You cannot sleep at the camps. The closest accommodation options are in Oświęcim.

Respect

Flowers of commemoration on the rail track leading to the camp

Please remember that you are essentially visiting a mass grave site, as well as a site that has an almost incalculable meaning to a significant portion of the world's population. There are still many men and women alive who survived their time here, and many more who had loved ones who were murdered or worked to death there, Jews and non-Jews alike. Please treat the site with the dignity, solemnity and respect it deserves. Do not make jokes about the Holocaust or Nazis. Do not deface the site by marking or scratching graffiti into structures. Do not take anything from the camp area with you "as a souvenir", and do not make Nazi salutes, even jokingly — these are considered offences under Polish law, and if you commit them, you will be placed before the court and could be subjected to a prison sentence of up to two years for propagating fascism. Pictures are permitted in outdoor areas, but remember this is a memorial rather than a tourist attraction, and there will undoubtedly be visitors who have a personal connection with the camps, so be discreet with cameras.

This city travel guide to Auschwitz-Birkenau is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.