Travel Guide Oświęcim (Auschwitz)

Incorporated by the Nazis into the Third Reich under the Germanized name of Auschwitz, the former market town of Oświęcim, now a provincial town of some kind, is the major symbol of the Holocaust and its name a synonym for Nazi barbarism. Between 1940 and 1945, an estimated 1.5 million people of some 28 nationalities, 90% of them Jews, died here. After the war, the camp became a gigantic memorial site, included on the Unesco list in 1979. An excursion to Auschwitz is as much a duty of remembrance as a tourist visit, and today, with over 2 million visitors every year, Auschwitz is one of the most visited places in Poland.But beware! As a memorial and basically a huge cemetery, a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau camps is emotionally taxing for adults and young visitors alike. Please note that entry to the camps is not recommended for children under 14.