Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and death camp became a symbol of terror and genocide to the entire world. Auschwitz I was located in Oświęcim, one of the oldest Polish fortified towns, whose history, although spans over 800 years, only became widely known due to its tragic 20th century chapter. Together with the Auschwitz II camp in Birkenau (Brzezinka), it became the site of extermination of nearly one and a half million people, including more than 1,100,000 Jews, 70,000 Poles, 25,000 Sinti and Roma (Gypsies) and some 15,000 prisoners of war from the USSR and other countries. The victims were killed by Zyklon B gas in the gas chambers. Their bodies were hauled to the crematorium furnaces for incineration and their ashes scattered in the fields.

Operating now on the former camp premises is a museum which also serves a memorial and a place of remembrance. After entering the site through the camp gate with the inscription “Arbeit Macht Frei” (Work Makes Free), visitors tour prison blocks which now hold the museum exhibits. The displays contain evidence of the genocide, including personal items taken from the victims as well as photographs and documents. Visitors can then proceed to the neighbouring site of the former extermination center and the world’s largest cemetery, Birkenau, which contains the ruins of the crematoria and gas chambers.