The History of Auschwitz Concentration Camp
July 21st, 2009
Auschwitz.
Just hearing the name itself brings thoughts of genocide and atrocities that the Nazi Germans were accused of in WWII.
But the camp did not begin as a concentration camp. It was originally built in 1916 for migratory workers on their way to seasonal work. From 1919 to 1939 Germany was divided into two sections- Germany and German-occupied Poland. During WWI the Polish used the camp as a military garrison. In 1939 Poland was annexed by the Greater German Reich when Nazi and Soviet troops defeated Poland. Because the camp was conveniently located near a railroad, centrally located in Europe, and had usable military buildings already available, it was chosen to be the first concentration camp in WWII, although Germany had already been employing concentration camps for seven years. On June 14, 1940 Auschwitz received the first prisoners: men of Polish political standing.
At the same time Auschwitz was made a concentration camp, a company called I.G. Farben also chose this site for a new chemical factory. On January 20, 1942 the Wannsee Conference was held, and plans were made for the “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” which ultimately resulted in the deaths of some 6 million Jews. In October 1941, Auschwitz II was formed 3 kilometers from the original camp. Auschwitz III was opened in a factory complex constructed by the I.G. Farben company. On January 27, 1945 Auschwitz was liberated.
Today Auschwitz is known as the place of the greatest mass murder of all time. In 1947 parts of Auschwitz I and II were preserved and converted to the Auschwitz Museum by Poland. It is visited by people from all over the world today who want to see the infamous Auschwitz. The iron gates that receive the visitors is crowned with the words “Arbeit macht frei,” or Work brings freedom.