Is Auschwitz in Poland or Germany?

Where is Auschwitz Located?

The question “Is Auschwitz in Poland or Germany?” appears frequently online, often followed by confusion or misleading phrases such as “Polish concentration camps.” The truth is clear: Auschwitz is located in Poland, but during World War II the territory was under brutal Nazi German occupation. The camp was designed, built, and run entirely by Germans. Using precise language is crucial both for historical accuracy and for respecting the memory of the victims.

Geographical Location: Auschwitz and Oświęcim

Auschwitz is the German name for the Polish town of Oświęcim, situated in southern Poland about 50 kilometres from Kraków. When Nazi Germany occupied Poland in September 1939, they renamed towns, streets, and even entire regions as part of a broader policy of germanisation. Oświęcim became Auschwitz, and this name was adopted for the camp established there in 1940.

Geographically, Auschwitz has always been in Poland. Politically, however, from 1939 to 1945, the area was annexed into the Third Reich and administered as German territory. This distinction is essential: the camps were not “Polish” in origin or responsibility.

Historical Context: Nazi Occupation of Poland

On 1 September 1939, Germany invaded Poland, followed by the Soviet Union from the east on 17 September. The Polish state was destroyed, its government forced into exile. Unlike other occupied countries, Poland had no collaborationist government. Instead, its lands were divided: part was directly annexed into the Reich, and the rest became the so-called General Government, ruled by German authorities.

It is also important to note that the system of concentration camps was German from the beginning. Dachau, the first camp, was established in 1933 near Munich, seven years before the invasion of Poland.

The occupation of Poland was total. German officials replaced Polish administrations, police, and courts. Daily life was marked by repression, executions, and mass arrests. It was in this context of absolute German control that Auschwitz was established in June 1940, initially as a camp for Polish political prisoners. Read more about the history of Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Why Auschwitz Was Built There

Several factors influenced the choice of Oświęcim as the site of the camp:

• Central location in occupied Europe – perfect for the Nazi railway system, enabling mass deportations.
• Large Jewish population – Poland was home to the biggest Jewish community in Europe before the war.
• German control without restrictions – with Poland erased from the map, there were no legal or political limits.
• Proximity to industry – the IG Farben factory in Monowice used forced labour from Auschwitz.

The camp evolved rapidly. What began as a detention site for Poles soon expanded into a vast complex with Birkenau (Auschwitz II) and Monowitz (Auschwitz III), becoming the largest centre of mass murder in Nazi-occupied Europe.

Why Were Most Nazi Camps Located in Poland?

Many ask why the Nazis placed their extermination camps in occupied Poland. The reasons were practical and political:

• Poland was the only major country in Europe completely deprived of sovereignty. Germans ruled without compromise or local collaboration.
• Its central location and rail network allowed deportations from across the continent.
• It was home to millions of Jews whom the Nazis targeted for extermination.

Importantly, the presence of camps in Poland was not the fault of Poles. All decisions were made in Berlin and by the SS.

Did Poles Really Do Nothing?

Another misconception suggests that Poles stood by in silence. This ignores both the realities of occupation and the courage many displayed:

• The most Righteous Among the Nations – over 7,000 Poles have been honoured by Yad Vashem for saving Jews, more than from any other country.
• Unique terror – in occupied Poland, helping Jews was punishable by death not only for the helper but also for their entire family. Hundreds of Polish families were executed for sheltering their Jewish neighbours.
• Daily fear – life itself was precarious. Going out to buy bread could mean being caught in a street roundup and deported to forced labour or a camp. Not everyone could be a hero under such circumstances.
• Warnings to the Allies – some Poles risked everything to alert the world. Witold Pilecki voluntarily entered Auschwitz and produced the first detailed report on the atrocities. Read more about Witold Pilecki in Auschwitz. Jan Karski carried eyewitness testimony about the Holocaust to London and Washington. Sadly, the Allies often dismissed these reports as exaggerated.

Poles were victims, resisters, and helpers – though, as everywhere in Europe, not all acted heroically. What distinguishes Poland is the scale of terror under which people lived.

Victims and Scale

Auschwitz became the largest site of the Holocaust, with about 1.1 million people murdered.

• Around 1 million were Jews deported from across Europe.
• 70–75,000 were non-Jewish Poles.
• 21,000 were Roma.
• 15,000 were Soviet prisoners of war.

These numbers highlight both the camp’s central role in the Nazi plan of genocide and the diversity of its victims.

Why the Phrase “Polish Camps” Is Wrong

The phrase “Polish concentration camps” is historically false and deeply offensive. It implies Polish responsibility, when in fact Poland was occupied and its citizens among the first victims. The correct terminology, used by historians and institutions such as the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, is “Nazi German concentration and extermination camps in occupied Poland.”

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Remembering Auschwitz Accurately

Following the war, leading perpetrators were brought to justice. Rudolf Höss, the first commandant of Auschwitz, was tried and executed in 1947. Other SS staff faced trials in Nuremberg and Frankfurt. Yet many perpetrators avoided justice, which makes remembrance and education even more vital today.

In the same year, the Polish government established the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum on the preserved grounds of the camp. Today, it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, visited by over two million people annually, serving as both a memorial and a centre of education.

So, is Auschwitz in Poland or Germany? Geographically, Auschwitz is in Poland. Historically, during World War II it was under Nazi German occupation and annexed to the Reich. The camp was built and run by Germans, not Poles.

Accurate language matters: Auschwitz was a Nazi German camp in occupied Poland. Remembering this distinction preserves historical truth and honours the victims who suffered there.