Auschwitz Birkenau was the largest Nazi German concentration camp where Jews were gassed and exterminated during the Second World War. The camp derived its name from the nearby town of Oswiecim, near the German- Polish border. When the Germans invaded Poland in 1939, Oswiecim was incorporated into Germany and renamed Auschwitz. The term Birkenau was later added because it is at this nearby town where most prisoners arrived on their way to Auschwitz. Later, the Germans did decimate the town to maintain secrecy of their Camp.
During the Second World War, terrible atrocities took place at this concentration or death camp. At the Nuremberg trials after the war, it became evident that millions of Jews and other ethnic minorities were gassed at this concentration camp.
Others were killed by systematic starvation, forced manual labor, executions and medical experiments. In 1947, Poland converted this concentration camp into a Museum. Over the years, millions of people have visited this somber graveyard.
The people of Auschwitz were liberated by the Russians on Jan 27, 1945 which today is celebrated as International Holocaust Remembrance Day in many parts of the world.
When entering the camp, there is a sign in German “Arbeit Macht Frei” meaning “Work makes you free.” Recently this sign was stolen.