The “Arbeit Macht Frei” Gate at Auschwitz The “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate — bearing the inscription meaning “Work Sets You Free” — stands at the entrance to Auschwitz I and is the most recognised symbol of the camp. The gate visible today is a replica; the original was stolen in 2009, later recovered and cut … Read more
Auschwitz I: Complete Visitor Guide Auschwitz I is the original main camp, built in former Polish army barracks in 1940. It is now home to the museum’s permanent exhibitions across 30 preserved brick buildings, and serves as the starting point for every visit to the memorial. Key sites include the “Arbeit Macht Frei” gate, Blocks … Read more
Auschwitz II-Birkenau: Complete Visitor Guide Auschwitz II-Birkenau is the larger of the two main sites at the memorial — a purpose-built extermination and concentration camp spanning nearly 175 hectares, where the vast majority of the over 1.1 million people murdered at Auschwitz were killed. Key sites include the main gate and watchtower, the railway ramp, … Read more
Block 11: The Death Block Block 11 was the camp prison within Auschwitz I — the most feared building in the camp. It housed the SS Gestapo court, the standing cells in the basement (tiny spaces where prisoners stood through the night as punishment), and the starvation cells where prisoners were condemned to death without … Read more
The Gas Chamber & Crematorium I at Auschwitz Crematorium I at Auschwitz I is the first gas chamber built at the complex and the site of the first experimental killings using Zyklon B in September 1941. It served as a killing facility from 1941 to 1942, when the larger Birkenau crematoria replaced it. Visitors can … Read more
The Gas Chambers & Crematoria at Birkenau Birkenau contained four purpose-built gas chamber and crematorium complexes — Crematoria II, III, IV, and V — operational from 1943. Together they were capable of murdering and incinerating thousands of people per day. In late 1944, as Soviet forces approached, the SS dynamited all four to destroy evidence … Read more
The International Monument to the Victims of Fascism at Auschwitz-Birkenau The International Monument to the Victims of Fascism stands between the ruins of Crematoria II and III at the far end of the Birkenau railway ramp. Unveiled in 1967, it consists of a series of large stone memorial slabs bearing inscriptions in the languages of … Read more
The Prisoner Barracks at Birkenau Birkenau at its height contained over 300 prisoner barracks across multiple camp sections, housing men, women, and children in conditions of extreme overcrowding, malnutrition, and disease. Most of the barracks no longer exist — burned or demolished by the SS or collapsed over time. What remains are the rows of … Read more
The Prisoner Exhibitions at Auschwitz I: Blocks 4, 5 & 6 Blocks 4, 5, and 6 at Auschwitz I house the museum’s core permanent exhibitions. Block 4 documents the process of mass extermination, including the hair room (photography prohibited). Block 5 displays the personal belongings confiscated from victims on arrival — shoes, suitcases, glasses, and … Read more
The Kanada Warehouses at Birkenau “Kanada” was the name given by prisoners to the warehouse complex at Birkenau where property confiscated from arriving deportees was sorted, catalogued, and stored before being shipped back to Germany. The name reflected the prisoners’ association of Canada with wealth and abundance. At liberation, Soviet forces found 348 warehouses containing … Read more
