Auschwitz
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Auschwitz:
see OświęcimOświęcim, Ger. Auschwitz, town (1992 est. pop. 45,100), Małopolskie prov., SE Poland. It is a railway junction and industrial center producing chemicals, leather, and agricultural implements. There are coal deposits in the vicinity.
..... Click the link for more information. , Poland.
Auschwitz
a concentration camp built by the fascist German regime on occupied Polish territory near the town whose German name is Auschwitz (Polish name, Oświe̢cim), near Kraków. Construction of the camp, which covered an area of approximately 500 hectares, began in 1940. It was a vast complex for the extermination of human beings, utilizing the most up-to-date technology. During the camp’s existence, more than 4 million people were exterminated—citizens of the USSR, Poland, France, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands, Rumania, Czechoslovakia, Yugoslavia, and other countries.
In spite of the savage terror in the camp, a network of underground cells and combat groups was organized by Communists. In the fall of 1944, the central leadership of the organized resistance in the camp made preparations for an armed uprising. Several groups of prisoners went into action spontaneously before the appointed time, however, and the uprising was suppressed. More than 200 people died bearing arms. The Hitlerites dealt savagely with the remaining prisoners. On Jan. 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated the few remaining survivors of Auschwitz.
A museum has been established at the site of the camp. In September 1958 the International Auschwitz Committee was organized.
REFERENCES
Niurnbergskii protsess, vol. 4. Moscow, 1959. Pages 295–557.Kraus, O., and E. Kulka. Fabrika smerti. Moscow, 1960. (Translated from Czech.)
G. D. KOMKOV