Auschwitz-Birkenau

Kerstin Ogloff

Location Of “Concentration Camp”

• Auschwitz-Birkenau was located in South Poland right next to the city of Krakow

Who was sent to Auschiwitz-Birkenau

Jews, Gypsies (Roma), homosexuals, asocials, criminals, and prisoners of war

Asocials Definition: One of several categories of people targeted by the Nazi regime. People in this category included homosexuals, prostitutes, Gypsies

(Roma), and thieves.

What was Auschwitz-Birkenau

• Auschwitz-Birkenau was mainly a extermination camp. But was also a very harsh labor camp.

Conditions in the Camp

“Regular Prisoners”• In the first months the prisoners had no furniture in their rooms. (they slept on straw stuffed

mattresses on the floor)• It wasn’t until 1941 that the three tiered bunk beds were brought in.(also stuffed with straw)• In 1941 wooden wardrobes, tables, and stools were as well added. • Coal fired tile stoves provided the heating.

Conditions Continued…

“Hard Laborers” • The hard laborers lived in barracks made of brick or wood.• The brick barracks stood in the oldest part of camp and began to fall in 1941. (they had no floors, eventually had flat

brick floors or a thin layer of concrete, were unheated in the winter two iron stoves were installed but failed to heat the entire space sinks/toilets weren't installed until 1944. as well as there being no electricity they slept on straw strewn on boards.)

• The wooden stable-type barracks (had no windows instead there was a row of skylights on either side at the top a chimney that heated the interior in the winter, and they went to the washroom in containers located in the two stalls at the end of the barracks)

• Lice and Rats were an enormous problem for the prisoners epidemics od contagious diseases happened frequently.• When a bath house was finally outfitted prisoners had to undress in their barracks and walk outside naked to use the

facility which led to sickness and death.

Conditions continued…

• The food was scarce although given three meals a day the prisoners lacked the nutrients they needed and their bodies started to lose fat and muscle which led to being very skinny and a lot of people died from starvation.

How many people were sent here?

• It was estimated that over 3 million people were sent to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Number of deaths?

• An estimated 1.1 million people were killed in Auschwitz-Birkenau.

An example of What people did to survive.

• At least 802 prisoners tried to escape the camp. 144 were successful, what happened to 331 of them is still unknown common punishment if you were caught was death by starvation. If someone did escape the SS would pick 10 people from their prison block to face death by starvation.

• Some were publicly executed if caught.

When the camp opened.

• The first large group of prisoners arrived in June 1941.

What happened on the last days of war?

• files were removed or burnt, the gas chambers destroyed. Everyone who had worked at Auschwitz knew that the time was fast approaching when the Allies would call them to account.

When was Auschwitz-Birkenau Liberated and by whom

• Janurary 27th 1945• By soviet soldiers (Russian) of the red army

Movies and Films

• Hitler’s Children (film)• Return To Auschwitz• The Piano Man• Auschwitz: The Nazis and the 'Final Solution‘• Schindlers List• Boy in the striped pyjamas• Uciekinier [The Escapee]

Bibliography.

• http://en.auschwitz.org/h/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=21&Itemid=18&limit=1&limitstart=1

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auschwitz_concentration_camp#Individual_escape_attempts