Birkenau (Auschwitz II) – Poland
Birkenau lies about three kilometers west of Auschwitz I and formed the largest section of the Auschwitz concentration camp complex. Constructed in 1941 on open farmland outside the village of Brzezinka, the camp was designed to hold vast numbers of prisoners transported from across Nazi-occupied Europe.
The most recognizable feature of Birkenau is the railway line that passes through the main gatehouse and extends into the center of the camp. Along this track stand the remains of wooden barracks, guard towers, and the foundations of the crematoria that once formed part of the extermination facilities.
Today Birkenau remains largely open and undeveloped, allowing visitors to see the immense scale of the camp stretching across the surrounding plain. The preserved railway tracks and ruins serve as a solemn memorial to the victims of the Holocaust.
