Auschwitz Birkenau

[MrFurious]

So what was the actual name of this camp? Was it Auschwitz camp in some place named Birkenau or was it Auschwitz-Birkenau?

[Roberto]

The latter. The Auschwitz concentration camp and the Birkenau prisoner of war camp were put together into the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex.

[Helly Angel]

I think was "Oswiecin".

[Dan]

I think what Helly meant was that was the Polish name for Auschwitz before it got Germanized.

Dan

[Tarpon27]

The following is the introduction to the histroy of Auschwitz at the official site:

http://www.auschwitz-muzeum.oswiecim.pl ... /index.php

[...]

All over the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. It was established by the Nazis in 1940, in the suburbs of the city of Oswiecim which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. The name of the city of Oswiecim was changed to Auschwitz, which became the name of the camp as well.

Over the following years, the camp was expanded and consisted of three main parts: Auschwitz I , Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz. It also had over 40 sub-camps.

At first, Poles were imprisoned and died in the camp. Afterwards, Soviet prisoners of war, Gypsies, and prisoners of other nationalities were also incarcerated there. Beginning in 1942, the camp became the site of the greatest mass murder in the history of humanity, which was committed against the European Jews as part of Hitler's plan for the complete destruction of that people. The majority of the Jewish men, women and children deported to Auschwitz were sent to their deaths in the Birkenau gas chambers immediately after arrival. At the end of the war, in an effort to remove the traces of the crimes they had committed, the SS began dismantling and razing the gas chambers, crematoria, and other buildings, as well as burning documents.

[...]

[Cantankerous]

If anyone's aware, Birkenau was the Germanized version of Brzezinka, a village not too far from Oświęcim (Auschwitz). See this link for more details:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brzezinka

[wm]

Oświęcim was annexed and renamed in 1939. It officially became part of Germany. It wasn't occupied like the rest of Poland.
The local Poles were mostly expelled, the local Jews ghettoized.

For that reason, Auschwitz is the proper name for the 1939-1945 period.

Btw It was actually a Jewish town; the Jews (mostly the Hasidim) formed the majority in Oświęcim.

[history1]

The latter. The Auschwitz concentration camp and the Birkenau prisoner of war camp were put together into the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex.

WOW! Calling Birkenau a POW-camp is quite unusual and a falsification of history. Since when were the Jews in all camp parts of Auschwitz II considered POW? Since when the thousands of Roma & Sinti? What about the political prisoners or Jehova´s Witnesses? Prisoner of War?
Can you share your source for this claim? Or is this only an opinion?
And there was no "Auschwitz-Birkenau" complex but an Auschwitz complex,
built by:
1. the main camp = Auschwitz I
2. Birkenau = Auschwitz II
3. Monowitz = Auschwitz III.
You should read:
https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/ ... uschwitz-1

[wm]

There was the Work Camp for Russian POWs (Russisches Kriegsgefangenen Arbeitslager) in Auschwitz I.