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When was the Auschwitz camp established?

1940. It was originally intended as a large concentration camp, primarily for members of the Polish resistance and intelligentsia. In 1941-42 it was expanded to take Soviet prisoners of war and for the "Final Solution".

How big was Auschwitz when it was completed?

25 square miles. The camp consisted of three main parts - Auschwitz I (the original camp), Auschwitz II (Birkenau - which was the extermination camp) and Auschwitz III (a chemical plant). In addition, there were several smaller "satellite" camps. When the camp was completed it was the largest Nazi concentration camp. There was also an "exclusion zone" round the camp.

How were most people murdered upon entering the camp?

Gas chambers. When most prisoners entered the camp, they were stripped naked and sent directly to the gas chambers that were disguised as showers.

What does the inscription above the main gate "Arbeit macht frei" mean?

Work makes one free. The sign above the entrance gate gave some who entered false hope. Some prisoners believed that if they worked they would be freed. There was also another, unofficial slogan "Der Weg in die Freiheit führt durch den Schornstein" - "The route to freedom leads up the chimney".

Who was the first Commandant?

Rudolf Hoess. Rudolf Hoess (who should NOT be confused with Rudolf Hess) was appointed by Himmler as the foundning commandant and remained there until November 1943, when he was promoted. Hoess was caught in March 1946, gave evidence at Nuremberg and was then sent to Poland to face trial there. While in prison he wrote his "Memoirs", which have been translated into English. He was hanged in April 1947, at Auschwitz facing the main gate with the words "Arbeit macht frei".

Who owned Monowitz (Auschwitz III)?

IG-Farben. In this section of the camp (at Monowitz) prisoners had to work in utterly inhuman conditions making various chemicals. The intention was to produce synethetic rubber, but that never happened. After WWII some of the directors of IG Farben, which owned Monowitz, were convicted of using prisoners as slave labor but were given lenient sentences, which were not served in full. J. A. Topf und Soehne, of Erfurt, made the crematoria. The firm had a long standing reputation for making very efficient crematoria that used lignite, a cheap fuel.

What were the prisoners assigned to help the guards in the crematoriums called?

Sonderkommando. The Sonderkommandos were prisoners required to help throw dead bodies into the crematoria. The guards randomly killed the Sonderkommandos to keep everything secret.

What was the name of the notorious doctor who performed horrific experiments on prisoners?

Josef Mengele. Dr. Mengele was one of the most notorious people that came out of the Holocaust. He performed many terrible experiments on the prisoners, but his main experiments were performed on children and twins. The experiments were all carried out without anaesthetics. Franz Stangl is best known as the commandant of Treblinka. He managed to escape to Syria and then to Brazil, where he was registered under his real name with an Austrian consulate. He was tracked down by Simon Wiesenthal and ultimately extradited to Germany in 1967.

There was a revolt by some Jewish prisoners at Auschwitz-Birkenau.

t. It occurred on 7 October 1944 when the prisoners assigned to assist with cremation destroyed the Crematorium IV and the associated gas chamber using explosives brought into the camp by women who had to work outside the camp. The uprising was of course easily put down by the SS.

The Allied forces that liberated Auschwitz were from which country?

The Soviet Union. On 27 January 1945 Auschwitz was liberated by units of the Soviet Army. There were only about 7,500 prisoners in the camp, as most of the prisoners had been taken on death marches shortly before the Soviet Army arrived. 27 January is widely observed as Holocaust Memorial Day.