Qu'est-ce que auschwitz ?

Auschwitz was a complex of Nazi concentration camps and extermination camps during World War II. Located in German-occupied Poland, Auschwitz became the largest and most infamous of all the camps established by the Nazis. It is estimated that over 1.1 million people, mostly Jews, were killed in Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945.

Originally, Auschwitz was established as a camp for political prisoners, but it was expanded to include multiple sub-camps and served different functions as the war progressed. Auschwitz I, the main camp, was initially designed for Polish political prisoners, while Auschwitz II-Birkenau became the main extermination camp. It consisted of gas chambers and crematoria, where mass murders were carried out.

Life in Auschwitz was incredibly harsh, with prisoners facing forced labor, starvation, disease, and constant abuse from the SS guards. Many prisoners were subjected to gruesome medical experiments by the camp's physicians, led by Dr. Josef Mengele, known as the "Angel of Death." Those who were not immediately killed upon arrival were often selected for forced labor until they died of exhaustion or illness.

The Holocaust, the systematic genocide of six million Jews by the Nazis, is synonymous with Auschwitz. It has come to represent the epitome of human cruelty and the horrors of the Nazi regime. Auschwitz stands as a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during World War II and is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a museum dedicated to preserving the memory of those who suffered and perished there. The museum educates visitors about the Holocaust and serves as a memorial to its victims.