Auschwitz Birkenau concentration and extermination camp

Auschwitz Birkenau was a complex of German concentration camps, including concentration camp in Auschwitz and in several surrunding towns, which operated between 1940-1945, being biggest symbol of the Holocaust. The names of Auschwitz and Birkenau are German translation from Polish names of Oswiecim and Brzezinka, which are used after the German invasion of Poland in 1939 and when Oswiecim was administrative district of Katowice province of Upper Silesia. In 1940 at these areas, the German nazis have set up camp, designed at first for the opposition political prisoners, mianly Poles. Was then successively expanded in the world known place of Holocaust of presumably one million people from across Europe, as well as many Poles, Jews, Gypsies, Soviet prisoners of war and victims of other nationalities. It is the only concentration camp located on the UNESCO World Heritage site, is listed there under the official name of Auschwitz-Birkenau. German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940-1945)

After liberation of the camp, the NKVD established on its territory two temporary camps for German prisoners. The camp at Auschwitz functioned propably until autumn 1945, while the second one created in Birkenau until the spring of 1946. In these camps stayed about fifteen thousand people. Their commander was a Soviet colonel named Maslobojew. In addition, in Auschwitz camp was running Office of Public Security, which was located near the Auschwitz railway station in the former "Gemeinschaftslagru" The three buildings that once consisted of the "Gemeinschaftslagru" remained to present times and are located halfway between Auschwitz and Birkenau. Located next to the five wooden barracks was established camp in which the communist Polish authorities have placed people suspected of membership in the NSDAP, Hitler Youth and BDM and German civilians and Volksdeutscherów, as well as Upper Silesia inhabitants suspected of disloyalty to the Polish. The camp was surrunded by fence and guarded by sentinels. The prisoners of this camp were used for dismantling technical equipment in chemical plants in Monowice, which were afterwards transported to the Russia. The camp was closed, probably in March 1946. From April 20th 1945 until February 1946 there were recorded 144 deaths of people coming mainly from the areas of Bielsko-Biala, Silesia and Germany
Then the Polish Government, upon the request of former prisoners, decided take care of Auschwitz I and II, and under a parliamentary act transform it in 1947 into the National Museum. For this purpose, restored a small part of the camp infrastructure.