can you visit auschwitz from warsaw

• South Africa
• El Salvador
• Bosnia and Herzegovina
• North Macedonia
• Czech Republic
• Transnistria
• Liechtenstein
• North Cyprus
• New Zealand
• Map with posts
• Alternative Guides
• Architecture Guides
• Cafe Guides
• Itineraries
• Neighborhood Guides
• Travel Guides
• Travel Tips
• Photo Galleries
• Photo Locations
• Solo female travel
• Train Travels
• Work with me
• Privacy Policy

Visiting Auschwitz – How to Plan the Auschwitz Tour

Last Updated on 29/08/2024 by kami

Visiting Auschwitz, albeit a very somber experience, is one of the must things to do in Poland. The largest Nazi Germany concentration and extermination camp during World War II, where over 1,3 million people lost their lives, needs no introduction. Conveniently located near Krakow , Auschwitz can be an easy addition to your Poland itinerary.

It took me almost 37 years to finally visit Auschwitz (although I’ve been to other Nazi Germany camps in Poland), and even if I knew very well what to expect, the place still overwhelmed me with its cruelty and tragedy. And I think everyone should plan a trip to Auschwitz to understand history better and see what people are capable of when the ideology brainwashes them. And, of course, to pay respect to all the unnecessary victims. It’s important to visit places like Auschwitz so we can do our best to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.

If you are visiting Poland (especially Krakow , Warsaw , Katowice , or Wroclaw ), I prepared this guide to help you plan your Auschwitz tour without too much hassle. There are different ways to visit Auschwitz, but no matter which one you choose, be prepared for one of the most difficult yet necessary travel experiences of your life.

Where is Auschwitz

The former Nazi Germany Concentration Camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, is located in a town of around 37.000 inhabitants called Oświęcim in southern Poland. Krakow is less than 70 km away, and Katowice is 35 km away. Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is around 330 km away from Oświęcim.

A brief history of Auschwitz

Even if Auschwitz is known mainly as the extermination camp, it was established as a concentration camp in mid-1940. It was one of over 40 camps in Poland that were supposed to be a solution to the problem of overflowing prisons full of arrested locals. The first people were brought to Auschwitz on June 14th, 1940, from the prison in Tarnow.

Since 1942 Auschwitz has also been used as the extermination camp where Nazis implemented their plan to murder Jewish people from all over Europe. At the peak of its operation, in 1944, Auschwitz was divided into three parts: Auschwitz I (the oldest one, in the old Polish military barracks), Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the largest one, founded in 1941, the majority of victims were killed here), and Auschwitz III (this was a group of over 40 sub-camps created near industrial plants, made for work prisoners).

Numerous Polish villages were demolished, and locals were evicted to develop such a large institution. The camps were isolated from the outside world. The total area was around 40 square kilometers, including all three Auschwitz camps and the so-called “interest zone” used for the technical or supply background, offices, and barracks for Nazis.

Since Auschwitz had a strategic location on the front line, in August 1944, the camp’s liquidation began – the prisoners were taken to Germany, and the evidence of the crimes was covered up. The liberation of Auschwitz took place on January 27th, 1945, when around 7,5 thousand prisoners were still held there.

Altogether, in the almost four years of operation, over 1,3 million people lost their lives in Auschwitz; the majority were Jewish (around 1,1 million), but also Polish (about 150 hundred thousand), Roma people (23 thousand), and other nations.

In 1979 Auschwitz was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List – it is the only former Nazi concentration camp with that title in the world.

How to visit Auschwitz

You can visit Auschwitz two ways: with a tour from where you are staying in Poland (most likely Krakow, Katowice, Warsaw, or Wroclaw) or independently, reaching the site by car or using public transport. Both options are doable; however, the tour is a slightly better one as everything will be taken care of for you.

There is a wide selection of tours to choose from that depart from Krakow as well as other mentioned cities. Most of them cover more or less the same things: pick-up from your accommodation, transportation to/from Auschwitz and back, the entrance ticket to the concentration camp, and the guided tour on-site.

When I visited Auschwitz, I arrived by train from Warsaw, with the change in Katowice. I was at the museum almost an hour before my guided tour of the site was supposed to start, and despite the poor weather (it was raining on that day), there was no place to hide and wait for the tour. Visitors were not allowed to enter the museum until a few minutes before the tour was about to start. Me and a few other unlucky visitors just stood near the trees, hiding under the umbrella and waiting for our time to enter the site. I can’t say it was a comfortable situation (but at least the weather worked perfectly well for such a sad place to visit). Recently, a new visitors center was opened so hopefully the situation is better.

When using public transport, you need to rely on the schedule of trains/buses and, just in case, plan to be at the site with some extra time ahead; hence a tour is a better option. Still, visiting Auschwitz is doable independently – I did it, and once the tour of the site started, it was really good.

Visiting Auschwitz – practical information

Visiting Auschwitz memorial site is free of charge; however, I recommend joining the tour with the educator provided by the museum. They have a huge knowledge of the place and the tragedy that occurred here and can answer all the questions visitors always have. Tours are available in various languages: Polish, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Czech, and Slovak.

Even if you decide to visit the site independently, you still need to book the entry pass – those with free entrance start in the afternoon. You can buy/reserve your ticket online at the website of Auschwitz Museum here.

Currently, the price for the tour with the educator is 80 PLN for Polish and 90 PLN for other languages. When booking the ticket, you must state your full name and surname – this will be checked later.

Since tickets can sell out quickly, booking one at least a month in advance is recommended. If there are no tickets left for the day you want to visit Auschwitz, you can join the organized tour from Krakow or other cities, as tour operators usually have tickets booked in advance. Due to the sensitive nature of the place, children under 14 years old should not visit Auschwitz Museum.

Once you have your ticket, you need to arrive at the Auschwitz visitors center 30 minutes before your tour starts to go through the security check (it’s rather thorough, similar to the airport), have your ticket inspected (remember to have the ID or passport with you), get the headset for the tour and meet your group. You are allowed to have a bag or backpack with a maximum dimension of 30x20x10 cm; any larger luggage must be left in the paid lockers.

Auschwitz Museum is open every day except January 1st, December 25th, and Easter Sunday. Opening hours vary depending on the month and are as follows:

• 7:30-14:00 in December
• 7:30-15:00 in January and November
• 7:30-16:00 in February
• 7:30-17:00 in March and October
• 7:30-18:00 in April, May, and September
• 7:30-19:00 in June, July, and August

The closing time means the last entrance – after that, you are allowed to stay on-site for an hour and a half. However, if you want to see Auschwitz Museum properly, you need at least 3,5 hours for that – that’s also how long the standard tour with the educator lasts. It is usually divided equally between Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II- Birkenau. A free shuttle bus runs between the two sites every few minutes.

Taking pictures and making videos is allowed in Auschwitz, for individual use, except in two places: the hall with the hair of Victims (block nr 4) and the basements of Block 11. Your educator will remind you not to take pictures there.

Remember what sort of place you are visiting and behave there with respect. It might be obvious for most, but I can’t count how many times I’ve read news about inappropriate behavior in Auschwitz and other similar sites in Poland, so I think it’s worth reminding this is not your typical tourist attraction but a place of one of the greatest tragedy that ever happened in the world.

Getting to Auschwitz independently

If you decide to visit Auschwitz on your own, you must get to the visitors’ center, where your tour will start. The new visitors center, which opened just recently, is located at 55 Więźniów Oświęcimia Street in Oświęcim ( here is the exact location ). If you drive there, there is a large parking lot where you can leave your car before visiting the museum.

If you use public transport, there are both trains and buses you can take to reach Oświęcim. I recommend trains as they are slightly faster and more comfortable; however, some buses stop next to the museum, so that’s convenient. You can check all the connections on this website , where you can also find the location of the bus stop in Oświęcim (there can be three different ones).

The train station in Oświęcim is located at Powstańców Śląskich Street, some 20 minutes walking from the Auschwitz museum. It’s a straightforward way; you can check the map with the directions here . I recommend catching the train that gives you at least an hour between arriving at Oświęcim and when your tour starts.

Auschwitz tour from Krakow

Numerous Auschwitz tours depart from Krakow, so you will easily find the one that suits your itinerary and needs. Here are some recommended ones:

• Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum and Memorial Guided Tour from Krakow
• Auschwitz & Birkenau – Fully Guided Tour from Krakow
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour with Private Transport from Kraków
• Auschwitz-Birkenau Guided Tour by Private Transport from Krakow

You can also combine visiting Auschwitz with Wieliczka Salt Mine , another UNESCO-listed site near Krakow and a must-visit place in Poland. Here are the tours that go to both places in one day:

• Day Trip to Auschwitz-Birkenau and Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow including Lunch
• Full-Day Tour of Auschwitz and Wieliczka Salt Mine from Krakow
• Auschwitz-Birkenau and Salt Mine Tour with private transport from Krakow
• Combined: Auschwitz Birkenau and Salt Mine private chauffeur from Krakow

If you decide to go to Auschwitz from Krakow on your own, you can take the train from the main train station to Oświęcim. They are rather frequent, more or less every hour, and the journey takes a bit over an hour (depending on the connection, the longest one is 1h20min).

If you want to take the bus, they depart from the MDA bus station, next to the main train station. The price for trains and buses is similar, between 15 and 20 PLN, although trains tend to be cheaper and faster. You can check all the connections and buy a ticket here .

Auschwitz tour from Warsaw

Even if Warsaw, the capital of Poland, is located over 300 km away from Oświęcim, it is possible to go for a one-day Auschwitz tour. However, you can expect a long day, and a large part of it will be spent traveling. But if you are visiting Warsaw only, Auschwitz can be a good addition to your Poland itinerary, so you can better understand the country’s complex history.

Here are some of the recommended Auschwitz tours from Warsaw:

• From Warsaw Auschwitz and Krakow one day tour by train with pick up and drop off

Going for the day trip from Warsaw to Auschwitz independently is also possible using trains. You can take the 6 am train to Katowice and then change for the train to Oświęcim, arriving in the town around 10:30. If you decide to do that, you can book your Auschwitz tour for 11:30 or 12:00. On the way back, you can catch the train after 16:00 from Oświęcim to Katowice, and after changing for the train to Warsaw, you will be in the capital after 20:00.

Auschwitz tour from Katowice

Since Katowice is less than 40 km from Auschwitz, it’s easy to go for a day trip. You need to take the local train to Oświęcim, it takes less than 50 minutes, and the connections are more or less every hour.

Or you can go for a tour, here are the Auschwitz tours from Katowice:

• Auschwitz – Birkenau from Katowice
• Auschwitz & Birkenau English guided tour by private transport from Katowice
• Auschwitz tour from Wroclaw

Wroclaw is another popular place to visit in Poland, and since it’s located around 230 km from Oświęcim, you can go for an Auschwitz tour from Wroclaw too. If you decide to do it independently, you can take the train to Katowice and then change for the local train to Oświęcim. A one-way trip should take you less than 4 hours.

Or you can go for a tour; here are the recommended ones from Wroclaw:

• Auschwitz-Birkenau Tour from Wrocław

Auschwitz Museum Tour

As for the museum itself, here is what you can expect.

You will start in the oldest part of the concentration camp – Auschwitz I, where the infamous gate with the sign “Arbeit macht frei” (meaning “Work Sets You Free”) is located. Here, you will visit numerous barracks where inmates were kept – now you can see different exhibitions there, showing the reality of Auschwitz and halls with personal belongings taken from arriving prisoners – luggage, shoes, glasses, etc., or hair of Victims. You will learn all about cruel practices here, including medical experiments or torture.

Visiting this part of Auschwitz museum is a very somber experience, and it’s really difficult to comprehend the tragedy that happened in this very place.

Besides the barracks in Auschwitz I, you will also see where the camp commander lived or the first crematorium where Nazis started their experiments with killing using gas. In this part of the Auschwitz tour, you can take pictures everywhere except the two places in Blocks 4 and 11 – they will be clearly marked, and your educator will remind you about this restriction.

The visit to Auschwitz I takes around 1,5 hours. Afterward, together with your group and educator, you will take the shuttle bus to Auschwitz II-Birkenau, located some 3 km away.

Auschwitz II-Birkenau is where around 90% of victims died. It is a huge area that worked kind of like the killing factory, with four gas chambers and crematoriums. This is also where most prisoners arrived – you most likely know the view of the railway tracks and brick gate – that’s Auschwitz II-Birkenau. This part of the visit is mostly outdoors.

You will walk around the area, see the remnants of the camp, visit some barracks inside, and learn all about the horrific tragedy that happened here. When Auschwitz I has a more intimate, even claustrophobic feeling, Auschwitz II-Birkenau can overwhelm you with its scale and enormity.

You will spend around 1,5 hours here, too; afterward, you can take the shuttle bus back to the visitors center when you started your tour.

Final thoughts on visiting Auschwitz

Even though I’ve lived in Poland almost my whole life, and Auschwitz has been a familiar topic since I remember, it took me nearly 37 years to finally visit the place. Before I was in different Nazi Germany sites in Poland, mostly in Majdanek in Lublin, so I didn’t feel the need to visit Auschwitz too. But I don’t regret the decision to go there eventually.

You can read and learn about the place, but nothing can prepare you for visiting Auschwitz. Some areas look familiar (after all, pictures of the “Arbeit macht frei” sign or Birkenau gate are present everywhere), but you will still be overwhelmed by the place and seeing it in real life. It’s hard to comprehend the cruelty and tragedy that happened here, and dealing with all the thoughts invading your mind afterward can take a while. It can be one of the most difficult-to-understand places you will ever visit.

Still, despite it all, I think everyone should go to Auschwitz to see where fanaticism and totalitarianism can lead and why we should avoid them at all costs.

Further reading

I published many articles about Poland that you might find useful when planning your trip there. Here are some of them:

• 37 Amazing Things to Do in Krakow, Poland
• 20 Great Places to Visit As Day Trips from Warsaw, Poland
• 17 Amazing Things to Do in Lublin, Poland
• The Complete Guide to Visiting Slownski National Park, Poland
• Visit Grudziadz – One of the Hidden Gems of Poland
• 19 Amazing Things to Do in Gdansk, Poland
• Visit Sandomierz, Poland – One of the Prettiest Towns in the Country
• Visiting Malbork Castle, Poland – the Largest Castle in the World
• 25 Amazing Things to do in Wroclaw, Poland
• and many more!

If you are looking for articles about a specific destination – check out the map with all the articles I’ve published (and their locations). You can also join my Facebook group about traveling in Central Europe and ask your questions there.

Travel Resources

You can find the best accommodation options at Booking . They have many discounts and excellent customer service. Click here to look for the place to stay in Poland

Never travel without travel insurance , you never know what might happen and better safe than sorry. You can check the insurance policy for Poland here.

I recommend joining organized tours to get to know the place better and to visit more places during your trip. You can find a great selection of tours at Get Your Guide – click here .

For the end I left a few announcements that might interest you:

• Sign up to my newsletter or follow me on Bloglovin to get updates about the new posts
• Join my Facebook group about Eastern Europe, the Balkans and former USSR and connect with fellow travellers and enthusiasts of these regions – just click here!
• I’ve included a few handy links of services and products I personally like and use so you can plan your own trip to Poland too. They are often affiliate links. This means I will get a small commission if you book/purchase anything through my links, at no extra costs for you. Thank you!

LIKED IT? PIN THIS POST FOR LATER!

If you enjoyed that post why don't you share it with your friends? That would mean so much to me! Also be sure to join 30.000+ fellow travelers and follow me on Facebook , Twitter , or Instagram for travel updates and even more pictures! If you don't want to miss new posts sign up to my newsletter or follow on Bloglovin !

I am thinking of visiting Auschwitz in a couple of months, when I’m transiting Poland. I’ve been recently to France and saw Camp des Milles, an interment camp from September 1939, from where thousands of people were sent to Auschwitz. It was an emotional experience and it can’t even be compared to what horrors happened in Auschwitz. I’m not sure if I’m ready for Auschwitz. I need to decide soon considering that I need to buy tickets so far in advance. Thank you for your informative post.

I think everyone should visit Auschwitz. It’s definitely a difficult place to see but it’s part of history and these places are a reminder that we should do everything to prevent the history from repeating itself.

Leave a Reply Cancel Reply

Sign me up for the newsletter!

Let’s become friends!

Join me on Facebook for even more travel updates!

Kami and the rest of the world

• Destinations
• Tours in Warsaw

Auschwitz Day Tour from Warsaw

Overview of the tour in Warsaw

Auschwitz-Birkenau has become a primary symbol of the Holocaust. It was a network of concentration and extermination camps built and operated by the Third Reich in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany during World War II. The collection of the museum contains original documents, suitcases, shoes, and other belongings of murdered prisoners. There you will find original fences, wooden watchtowers, and railway ramps have been preserved. The tour also includes a short ride to Birkenau camp, which functioned as a war camp, extermination camp, and place from people were sent to labor in Nazi Germany. More than 90 percent of prisoners, mostly European Jews, were killed there.

This activity includes:

• Fundacja Auschwitz Birkenau
• Transportation by car/minibus
• Pick up from your hotel
• English speaking driver
• Tour in Auschwitz in English
• Entrance fee and tour in Auschwitz-Birkenau Museums and Camps
• Basic lunch (soup, main course, water) in regular restaurant

Meeting point

any point in Warsaw

Pickup from your hotel in Warsaw.

Things to note

Important: 1 person 365 € 2 person 265 € 3 person 150 € 4 person 120 € 5 person 105 € 6 person 96 € 7 person 87 € 8 person 80 €

Free Cancellation

Free Cancellation up to 24 hours before the activity starts. Late cancellation or your non-arrival is not refundable.

• Join Freetour
• Provider Sign In
• Affiliate Program
• Security & Privacy
• Terms & Legal
• Cookie policy
• Freetour Awards
• Ratings & Reviews powered by

Barceló Experiences

Suggestions for you

Dominican Republic

Riviera Maya

Fuerteventura

Gran Canaria

San Sebastián

Auschwitz: a journey to Nazi hell

Arriving at either of the two entrances to the concentration camp is solemn and disquieting. It’s a journey into hell and explores one of the worst crimes related to humankind, but is also a history lesson that people can learn from to ensure that such events are never repeated.  

History and context of Auschwitz

Auschwitz i and ii, exhibitions and monuments, visitors’ information (opening times, etc), places to visit nearby.

The Auschwitz complex contained a forced labour camp, a slave camp, and an extermination area. Construction began in May 1940 on the outskirts of Oświęcim, a city that had been annexed by the Nazis as part of their eastward expansion plans.

The first prisoners were several hundred Poles who were held as political prisoners but during the years in which the camp was in operation, it’s thought that over 1,250,000 people lost their lives there. Most were Jews, but victims also included prostitutes, prisoners of war, homosexuals, gypsies, and communists.  

Five years later, on 27 January 1945, Auschwitz was liberated by Soviet troops. Fewer than 3,000 men were discovered wandering the camp, the only surviving prisoners to escape the final murders as the Nazis tried to erase all traces of their crimes.

The concentration camp is divided into two parts, Auschwitz I and II. Auschwitz I was the original concentration camp and where the administrative headquarters used to run the complex was housed in brick barracks. The entrance gate to this part of the camp is where you can read the famous words “Arbeit macht frei” (“Work sets you free”); perhaps the slogan gave prisoners hope that they would leave the camp one day.

However, Auschwitz was the deadliest concentration camp to be built by the Third Reich and most who crossed its threshold would never leave its wire fencing again.

The camp was divided into blocks; the most famous was block 11, tragically known as the “block of death” because it was where prisoners were locked into the smallest cells and left to die.  

Auschwitz II or Birkenau, the second part of the complex, was the largest area and was built a year later in the zone nearest the town, which is around three kilometres from the original site of the concentration camp.

Auschwitz II was built to carry out the Nazi plan to exterminate the Jews and contained five crematoriums and gas chambers that could murder up to 2,500 people at once.

The camp was divided into sections that were separated by electric fences, splitting prisoners up into groups depending on whether they were headed straight to their deaths, to the labour camp or were to be used for medical experiments.

Auschwitz II didn’t receive female prisoners until 1943 but when they did arrive, they were also murdered or subjected to forced sterilization by Nazi doctors.  

On entering, visitors are shown a brief documentary film that places the camp in the context of its time and explains its purpose.

Parts of the Auschwitz I barracks have been adapted to show exhibitions that reveal the prisoners’ shocking living conditions and personal items that belonged to the many thousands of people who passed through the camp before being murdered. Boots, suitcases, shaving kits, glasses and even hair, which was sold to make coats, are on display.

You can also still see the train tracks that transported prisoners from one side of the camp to another, and, at Auschwitz II, the remains of the crematorium ovens and gas chambers where the Nazis murdered over 1.1 million Jews.

A watchtower remains standing and gives visitors views over Birkenau, the wire fence that imprisoned the inmates, and the homes of Nazi soldiers.

Auschwitz is open all year round from Monday to Sunday, except for Easter Sunday, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. You will need between two to three hours to visit the camp because the two zones are far apart.

Opening times change depending on the month of the year and when it gets dark. Last visitors are admitted an hour and a half before closing time.  

Auschwitz opens at 7.30 a.m. and closes at 2 p.m. in December, at 3 p.m. in January and November, at 4 p.m. in February, 5 p.m. in March and October, 6 p.m. in May and September and 7 p.m. in June, July and August.

It’s extremely cold at Auschwitz in autumn and winter because few buildings remain standing and there is little shelter, so make sure you are wrapped up when you visit.

While visiting with children isn’t prohibited, it’s not recommended. If you are accompanied by children, make sure to pass quickly through the photography exhibition and area where the personal belongings of people murdered at Auschwitz are displayed.  

Krakow is one of the nearest cities to Auschwitz and is a fantastic place to visit. Its Old Town is full of charming spots such as the Market Square, St Mary’s Basilica, and the Cloth Hall. While in the city, make time to visit the Jewish Quarter, where many residents died during the war, and climb the hill up to 14th century Wawel Royal Castle. The castle contains the John Paul II Cathedral Museum and the Royal Palace, the first residence of the Polish royal family.

Famous Wieliczka Salt Mine is close to Krakow and it contains over 300 km of tunnels at a depth of 327 m below ground, revealing the different phases of mining in Europe.

You can not lose this

Malbork Castle: a journey back to the Middle Ages

Romantic experiences in Warsaw, a city that resembles Chopin's piano notes

What to see in Kraków, the ancient Polish capital and one of Europe's most beautiful cities

Frequently asked questions, how do you get to auschwitz.

You can get to Oswiecim by train or bus, and then take transport to the camp.

Can you visit Auschwitz independently?

You can visit the concentration camp independently but there are also guided tours at specific times that you can book when you purchase your ticket.

Related plans

Located 310 kilometres from Warsaw, this Castle of the Teutonic Order has been declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

A guide to romantic experiences to enjoy Warsaw on Valentine's Day or at another point in the year

Kraków was the capital of Poland for over 500 years. As they remained intact after World War II, its buildings, castles, and monuments are a reflection of its history and grandeur

Commentaries

A visit to Auschwitz and the thoughts that can’t be ignored

How could this have happened? By people believing big lies.

Opinion editor’s note: Strib Voices publishes a mix of guest commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here .

It was chilly on the train from Krakow back to Warsaw. The winter sun had set hours before; it was moonless and dark, a fitting postscript for this day when I toured Auschwitz, the World War II Nazi death camp.

As I stared out at nothing, a curtain of shame enveloped for my ethnic link to the monsters who tortured and murdered millions at concentration camps, some in my lifetime.

How could this have happened?

Germany was civilized, its history rich and its people educated. But the 1920s to ‘30s were times of economic hardship, including encumbrances the Treaty of Versailles placed on Germany for its role in World War I.

The Nazi Party rose from the mire by preying on popular anxieties while blaming Jews for the country’s misery. Adolf Hitler ascended to power with mesmeric oratory and deceitful propaganda.

Our Auschwitz guide, a history student at Warsaw University, spoke excellent English, with piercing eye contact punctuating her telling the place’s hideous tales. She didn’t smile once during the hourslong tour.

We stood on the platform where, in the early 1940s, trains regularly unloaded up to 2,000 weary and anxious captives from throughout Europe. Trips often outlasted food supplies.

Some 80 souls were packed into repurposed cattle cars, sans toilets or heat. Doors locked shut, the human stench mixed with pungent odor of those who died en route.

Mostly Jewish passengers included whole families who brought only what fit into a suitcase. They’d be going to a work camp, they were told, and better lives — lies, to not arouse suspicion of their fate.

A small band of prisoners who knew about Auschwitz played upbeat tunes to fill the platform air with joy, more deception.

Nazi doctors separated those able to work or had other value, like ghastly medical experiments by the “angel of death,” Josef Mengele.

The elderly, feeble and nearly all women and kids were ushered toward smoke rising from chimneys at the camp’s far end. There, they carefully placed luggage and had their heads shaved before entering a large room for “cleansing,” after which they’d reclaim belongings. More lies.

The “bathhouse” was complete with fake shower heads. Doors sealed, rooftop soldiers dropped Zyklon B pellets down tubes that released a searing, deadly gas on air contact. All would succumb in 15 minutes; screams during first moments were muffled by soldiers revving motorcycle engines. Victims’ fingernail scratches were on walls.

Prisoners assumed the grim task of removing bodies, and prying open mouths to remove metal fillings. Bodies were piled into a crematory and set ablaze — creating the smoke seen by new arrivals.

Again, how could this have happened?

There were four large gas chambers in the Birkenau section and a smaller one at nearby Auschwitz I. When daily executions exceeded crematoria capacity, bodies were burned in large pits.

Men assigned to labor initially knew nothing of the fate of the others. They’d soon face their own horrors, with death by starvation, torture, overwork or horrific medical experiments (“quality” skeletons of the dead were availed for display in medical labs).

I knew about the Holocaust, but it’s far different being among footsteps of the doomed, seeing gas chambers and piles of victims’ ransacked luggage.

Some of the shaved hair was blended into fabric for military uniforms. One display showed small shoes of children who perished.

Why Auschwitz and southern Poland?

In addition to being declared national enemies, Jews “contaminated” the “superior” Aryan race. Nazis’ wont to rid the menace rationalized genocide on a stunning scale, its pace accelerated with Hitler’s “Final Solution” dictate. A large extermination camp was needed.

Oswiecim (“Auschwitz” in German), an hour west of Krakow, met all criteria — central in Nazi territory, good rail access and a small Indigenous population. Plus, it had quality brick buildings once used as army barracks. Birkenau (the complex’s larger unit) was named after Brzezinka, a village demolished to clear vast space for the camp and a wide buffer to keep outsiders out.

Notorious commandant Rudolph Höss testified at postwar Nuremberg trials that 3 million perished at Auschwitz. Experts agree on 1.1 million, though counts are problematic because records were purposely destroyed.

But how could Auschwitz be kept secret when some 145 escapees told Allies their stories? The guide said first accounts were dismissed as wild exaggeration.

The midafternoon sun was low as our group moved from Birkenau to Auschwitz 1, where administrators and some 20,000 prisoners were housed.

Prisoners there rose pre-dawn and stood hours for roll, with the overnight dead carried to the count line. Wearing scant clothing despite winter’s cold, prisoners ate small portions of bread and broth before trudging to work under the infamous sign, “Arbeit Macht Frei” (work makes you free); a prisoner band played.

After working long hours, prisoners stood for another count, carrying with them the day’s dead. A faulty count meant prisoners being severely beaten or hanged on the spot if they couldn’t explain why.

Disrespecting prisoners faced a farcical “court” with the “convicted” shot dead at an outside wall. Others were so packed into 16-square-foot stalls they couldn’t lie down. Some died in starvation cells, some in crowded, airtight cubes with oxygen deliberately depleted.

The guide said a 9-year-old girl, accused of smuggling food, faced the “court” of booted, uniformed men who ordered execution at the wall. Try to imagine any child in that little girl’s place.

Again and again, how could it all happen?

Nazis knew their deeds at Auschwitz would be harshly judged at war’s end. Destroyed gas chambers and other evidence saved most camp guards from prosecution.

But Rudolph Höss, who perfected mass killing by gas, was publicly hanged at Auschwitz. Hans Frank, governor of Nazi-occupied Poland where he lived lavishly in Krakow while overseeing several death camps, was hanged in Nuremberg.

Later, at home in Minnesota, thoughts of Auschwitz often welled up, lately alongside the alarming normalization of disinformation and outright lies in America’s public discourse.

My late mother-in-law, a full-blood, proud German who spoke little English before school, despised the Third Reich. She wondered how people could do such appalling things, and how so many believed Nazi lies.

Don’t tell small lies, Hitler’s propagandist Joseph Goebbels would say. Tell big lies, repeat them often and they’ll be believed.

“Listen, buster,” Marian, my mother-in-law, told me sternly. “What happened in Germany could happen again, and it could happen here.”

Many think it’s already begun.

Ron Way lives in Minneapolis. He’s at [email protected] .

about the writer

More from commentaries, minnesota is making democracy work better by improving voting laws.

A review of the state’s procedures, including what’s new this year.

How to better understand the work of election forecasters and their predictive models

This work is somewhat different from the polls that we all know so well.

Guided Tours for Individual Visitors

Individual visitors may tour the Memorial independently or in organised groups with a guide-educator.

Entrance to the Museum, to both Auschwitz I and Birkenau parts, is possible only with a personalized entry pass booked in advance. Reservations can be made at  visit.auschwitz.org  or on the spot at the cashier. The number of entry passes available is limited.

Due to the limited number of the entry passes visitors are kindly requested to book in advance at the website  visit.auschwitz.org ,  as well as to arrive 30 minutes before the start of the tour. Larger luggage should be left in vehicles in the car park. Before the visit, please read the  rules of visiting  and  the opening hours of the  Museum.

VISITING WITHOUT A GUIDE-EDUCATOR

Tour without a guide-educator is possible at certain times subject to free Entry Passes, which may be downloaded from  the tour booking system :

• January, November: form 1.00 PM
• February: from 2.00 PM
• March, October: from 3.00 PM
• April, May, September: from 4.00 PM
• June - August: from 4:00 PM
• December: from 12.00 PM  

During the dates provided below, entrance to Museum is only possible with a guide-educator:

• January, November: from 7.30 AM to 1.00 PM 
• February: from 7.30 AM to 2.00 PM
• March, October: from 7.30 AM to 3.00 PM
• April, May, September: from 7.30 AM to 4.00 PM
• June - August: from 7:30 AM to 4:00 PM
• December: from 7.30 AM to 12.00 PM

  VISITING WITH A GUIDE-EDUCATOR

• Polish from 8.30, 9.00 to 13.00 in every hour • English from 8.30 to 12.30 in every  hour • French 11.45 • German 10.15 • Italian 11.15 • Spanish 10.45 • Russian 9.45

• Polish from  8.15, 9.00 to 13.00 in every hour • English from 8.30 to 13.30 in every  hour • French 11.15 • German 10.45 • Italian 11.45 • Spanish 12.15 • Russian 10.15

• Polish from  8.15, 9.00 to 14.00 in every hour • English from 8.30 to 14.30 in every  hour • French 10.15, 13.45 • German 9.45, 14.15 • Italian 11.15, 13.15 • Spanish 10.45, 14.45 • Russian 11.45

APRIL / MAY / JUNE

• Polish from  8.15 to 15.15 in 30 min. • English from 8.30 to 15.30 in 30 min. • French 10.15, 12.45, 13.15 • German 9.45, 12.00, 14.45 • Italian 11.15, 12.45, 14.15 • Spanish 10.45, 12.15, 13.45 • Russian 9.15, 11.45, 15.15

JULY / AUGUST

• Polish 8.15, 8.45, 9.15, 9.45 and from 10.15 to 15.45 in every 15 min., 16.15, 16.45  • English 08.30, 9.00 and from 9.30 to 15.30 in every 15 min., 16.00, 16.30 • Czech 10.45, 14.15 • Slovak 9.45, 13:45 • Russian 9.15, 11.45, 15.15 • French 10.15, 12.45, 14:15 • German 9.45, 12.00, 14.45 • Spanish 10.45, 12.15, 14.45 • Italian 11.15, 12.45, 14.15

• Polish from 8.15 to 15.15 in every 30 min. • English from 8.30 to 15.30 in every 30 min. • Russian 9.15, 11.45, 15.15 • French 10:15, 12:45, 13:15 • German 9.45, 12.00, 14.45 • Spanish 10.45, 12.15, 13.45 • Italian 11.15, 12.45, 14.15

• Polish 8.15 and from 9.00 to 14.00 in every hour • English form 8.30 to 14.30 in every hour • Russian 11.45 • French 10.15, 13.45 • German 9.45, 14,15 • Spanish 10.45, 14.45 • Italian 11.15, 13.15

• Polish 8.15 and from 9.00 to 14.00 in every hour • English from 8.30 to 12.30 in every  hour • French 11.45 • German 10.45 • Italian 11.15 • Spanish 12.15 • Russian 10.15

• Polish 8.15 and from 9.00 to 12.00 in every hour • English from 8.30 to 11.30 in every hour • French 11.45 • German 10.15 • Italian 11.15 • Spanish 10.45 • Russian 9.45

You can book a place on a tour at  visit.auschwitz.org , where you will find information on available dates and  prices of entry passes .

A tour lasts approximately 3.5 hours and it starts at Auschwitz I. 

The price includes a tour of the former Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau camps with a guide-educator, rental of a headset. The Museum provides transfer between both sites of the former camp. The shuttle bus is intended for individual visitors in guided tours. The transfer takes place in accordance with security procedures in force in the territory of the Republic of Poland regarding public transport means.

Sale of entry passes for language tours ends 5 minutes before the start of the tour.

Concessionary entry passes are available to pupils and students aged up to 26 years, people over 75 years of age and disabled upon presentation of a proper document.

During periods of increased visitor traffic, there may be a temporary limitation in the availability of group tours.

STUDY TOURS

Study tours are organized everyday (tour takes around 6 hours):

• Polish 9.00

• German 9.15

• English 9.30

• via @auschwitzmuseum" aria-label="Udostępnij na Twitter">

Images from www.auschwitz.org may be used only in publications relating to the history of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau or the activities of the Auschwitz Memorial. Their use must not tarnish the good reputation of the victims of KL Auschwitz. Any interference in the integrity of the images – including cropping or graphic processing – is prohibited. The use of the images for commercial purposes requires the Museum’s approval and information about the publication. Publishers undertake to indicate the authors and origin of the images: www.auschwitz.org, as well as to inform the Museum of the use of the images ([email protected]).