Auschwitz: The Devastating History of a Nazi Death Camp

Auschwitz is located in the middle of many crossroads. Auschwitz is know as a death camp for its brutality. It was built on October 1941 in Oswiecim, Poland. The concentration camp was also known as the perfect location for the Final Solution. About 2.1 million to 4 million people lost their lives at Auschwitz. Hitler later realized that he wanted to absolutely destroy the Jews, so Auschwitz became a labor extermination camp. In October 1941, about 10,000 soviet prisoners came to Auschwitz but by 1942, there was only 945 left. Auschwitz lasted from May 1940 to January 1945. Most of the prisoners at Auschwitz were Jews, Poles, Romani, and Soviet prisoners of war. Jews were the greater population of the prisoners. Auschwitz is designated as the worst camp in the history of nazi Germany through the many lives it destroyed, the harsh living conditions,

and the intensive labor the prisoners had to endure and it lives on today as a memorial to all the lives that were lost.
There were many ways that prisoners died at Auschwitz. Many prisoners got thrown into the crematoriums and got burned alive which was unlike the other camps because Auschwitz was the only camp that had crematoriums. Another way many prisoners died was by being thrown into the gas chambers where prisoners were gassed to death. Once the prisoners were in the gas chambers, it only took them 20 minutes to die. The firing wall was where prisoners would line up against a wall and be shot. Holocaust.org states, “... carrying out the sentences by lining the prisoners against the wall and shooting them. Their bodies were placed in gravel pits in and around the main camp.” This tells us that the killing methods of the camp leaders were cruel and merciless because they didn’t just kill the prisoners, they put their bodies in a place that would always surround them. Auschwitz was surrounded by death. Prisoners that were unfit to work were immediately killed without ever being registered, so because of this, we don’t know the exact number of lives that were lost. Executions by hanging were usually done in public to intimidate the prisoners.
The living conditions at Auschwitz were terrible.

The beds that the prisoners slept on were made of straw. The Jewish Virtual Library clearly states, “ Dampness, leaky roofs, and the fouling of straw and straw mattresses by prisoners suffering from diarrhea made difficult living conditions worse.” The prisoners were never able to have a good rest or a breath of fresh air because of these conditions. There were diseases all around them. There was never any clean water supplied for the prisoners. Most people that drank the water from Auschwitz ended up dead. The barracks that the prisoners slept in had many insects and rats. The prisoners got thin tiny blankets and because it was so cold in the barracks, many prisoners ended up dying because of the harsh weather and the cold. Prisoners were timed to use the bathroom and could usually only use it for ten seconds. Ten prisoners were supposed to sleep on one bed, and they had to sleep sideways in order to fit. Auschwitz two was built on a swamp so the barracks were very wet which also caused diseases to spread faster. The prisoners were never given clean clothes to

wear.
Many prisoners were forced to do intensive labor. Prisoners were forced to work over ten hours. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum states that, “Jews generally work 10 to 12 hour days under harsh conditions, receiving little or no pay.” The difficult work and the lack of food is what caused many deaths. The prisoners were forced to dig coal. Many prisoners were also forced to work in German industries. On the front gate to the entrance of Auschwitz it was written, "Arbeit macht frei" which means “work sets you free”. This created a false hope for the prisoners that if you work hard enough, you will be set free. The Sonderkommando were prisoners that had to work in the crematoriums. They were chosen because of their strength and they had to clear out the bodies from the gas chambers. They usually had to work a couple of weeks but sometimes they had to work up to four months. After they worked for a while, they would be killed. About 60,000 prisoners had to march for 30 miles to get on a train to be transported to other concentration camps.
Auschwitz is known as one of the most horrific concentration camps in German history due to the many lives it destroyed, the harsh living conditions, and the intensive labor that the prisoners had to go through. Auschwitz was the only camp that tattooed their prisoners. This was cruel because it took away a part of their identity and who they were. Many prisoners got their heads shaved which also took away a part of their identity. Today, many people such as the pope and presidents have gone to visit Auschwitz. It’s been almost seventy-two years since the terrors of Auschwitz and it is up to us and this nation to make sure that a mass killing like this never occurs again. Although Auschwitz was a place of death and hopelessness, it is now a memorial for all the lives that were lost to show that they will never be forgotten.