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Auschwitz

Auschwitz was a complex of Nazi concentration and extermination camps established by Germany in occupied Poland during World War II. Located near the town of Oświęcim, the site consisted of three main camps—Auschwitz I, the original camp; Auschwitz II–Birkenau, a combined extermination and labor camp; and Auschwitz III–Monowitz, a labor camp with numerous subcamps—along with numerous satellite facilities. The complex was built and operated by the SS and opened in 1940, becoming the largest of the Nazi camps.

Prisoners at Auschwitz endured forced labor, starvation, disease, brutal punishments, and, in many cases, murder. Mass

The camp was liberated on January 27, 1945, by Soviet forces as the war neared its end.

killings
occurred
primarily
at
Birkenau,
where
gas
chambers
and
crematoria
were
used
to
kill
large
numbers
of
people,
especially
Jews,
but
also
Polish
political
prisoners,
Romani
people,
Soviet
prisoners
of
war,
and
others.
The
total
number
of
victims
is
estimated
at
around
1.1
million,
with
the
vast
majority
Jewish;
many
other
nationalities
and
groups
were
persecuted
and
killed
as
well.
After
the
war,
the
site
was
preserved
as
a
memorial
and
educational
center.
Auschwitz-Birkenau
State
Museum
was
established
in
1947
to
document
and
study
the
crimes
committed
there.
In
1979,
the
site
was
designated
a
World
Heritage
property
by
UNESCO.
Today,
Auschwitz
serves
as
a
memorial
to
the
victims
of
the
Holocaust
and
as
a
reminder
of
the
consequences
of
genocide
and
hatred.