Auschwitz Memorial Muzeum Auschwitz

Auschwitz: What You Need to Know Before You Go

Between January and May 1945, as Soviet forces advanced westward, the SS began evacuating Auschwitz. Around 60,000 surviving prisoners were forced on death marches toward camps in Germany. Thousands died on the roads. On 27 January 1945, Soviet troops entered the Auschwitz-Birkenau complex and found approximately 7,500 survivors too sick to walk. They also found 370,000 men’s suits, 837,000 women’s garments, and seven tonnes of human hair, the physical residue of the murder of more than 1.1 million people, primarily Jews, between 1940 and 1945.

The date of liberation, 27 January, is now International Holocaust Remembrance Day.

The Memorial and Museum

The Auschwitz Memorial and Museum operates as a UNESCO World Heritage Site across two sites: Auschwitz I (the original camp, 3km from central Oświęcim) and Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the extermination complex, 3km further west). Both are included in the visit and both require time; most visitor guides recommend 5-7 hours minimum.

Entry is free, but timed tickets are mandatory and book out weeks ahead for peak season. Reserve at auschwitz.org. Without an advance booking, you may not get in, approximately 2.5 million people visit annually, making it one of the most visited memorial sites in the world.

The guided tour (approximately €15-19, available in multiple languages) is strongly recommended over a self-guided visit. The context provided by knowledgeable guides transforms the experience from walking through preserved buildings into understanding what those buildings were for and how they functioned.

Auschwitz I

The original camp is the site of the main museum exhibitions. Block 11 was the punishment block where prisoners were executed or subjected to torture; the courtyard between Blocks 10 and 11 has the execution wall where thousands were shot. The crematorium and gas chamber here were the first to be built and operated from 1941. The “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign over the main gate was stolen by thieves in 2009 and recovered, the current sign is a replica.

The exhibitions inside the blocks include personal belongings collected from arrivals: two tonnes of hair, 110,000 shoes, thousands of suitcases still labelled with their owners’ names. The scale of the material is overwhelming in a specific way, it forces individual reckoning with the fact that each object belonged to a specific person.

Auschwitz II-Birkenau

Birkenau is larger and more desolate. The main gate and guard tower are iconic; beyond them, rows of brick and wooden barracks extend to the far tree line. At its peak, 90,000 people were imprisoned here simultaneously. The ruins of the four large crematoria-gas chamber complexes at the far end were dynamited by the SS in 1944-45 to destroy evidence. They remain as rubble.

The international monument between the crematoria ruins is where commemorations are held.

Getting There

From Kraków (65km west): buses leave from Kraków’s MDA bus station (bus number 25) and from outside the main railway station. Journey time approximately 1.5 hours. Multiple departures daily. This is the most practical option.

Kraków itself is the logical base for a 2-3 day visit that includes both the memorial and the city’s extensive historical and cultural sites, the Wawel, the Jewish Quarter of Kazimierz, the salt mine at Wieliczka.

Practical Notes

The experience is emotionally intense; give yourself time afterward rather than scheduling another activity immediately after. The weather in Poland is variable, the outdoor sections of Birkenau are fully exposed. Comfortable shoes, waterproofs, and water are practical requirements. Photography is permitted in most areas but not inside certain buildings (marked clearly).