Auschwitz Birkenau Museum, Oświęcim, Poland

The Auschwitz-Birkenau Museum is located in the town of Oświęcim, about 70 km west of Kraków in southern Poland. The site consists of two main parts: Auschwitz I, the original concentration camp established by Nazi Germany in 1940, and Auschwitz II–Birkenau, a much larger extermination camp built nearby in 1941. Today, the area is preserved as a museum and memorial dedicated to the victims of the Holocaust. In 1979, the site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a symbol of the crimes committed during World War II.

Auschwitz-Birkenau is one of the most important historical sites in Europe, representing the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp complex. More than 1.1 million people, primarily Jews, as well as Poles, Roma, and others, were murdered there. The preserved structures—including barracks, watchtowers, barbed wire fences, and railway tracks—provide direct evidence of the camp’s function. The museum also contains exhibitions with personal belongings of victims, documents, and photographs that illustrate the scale and human impact of the atrocities.

Visiting the Memorial

Visitors to the site can explore both Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II–Birkenau. Auschwitz I houses the main museum exhibitions, including historical displays inside former prisoner blocks. Birkenau, located about 3 km away, is a vast open area with rows of barracks, ruins of gas chambers, and the iconic railway entrance gate. A free shuttle bus connects the two parts of the complex.

The museum can be reached from Kraków by car, train, or bus in about 1–1.5 hours. Organized tours from Kraków are also widely available and often include transportation and a guided visit. From Oświęcim railway station, the museum is about 2 km away and can be reached by local bus or taxi.

Entry to the memorial grounds is free, but every visitor needs an entry card reserved in advance on visit.auschwitz.org; no cards are issued at the entrance. Guided tours with Museum educators are paid and highly recommended. The Memorial is open all year except 1 January, 25 December and Easter Sunday, from 7:30 until 14:00 in December and until 19:00 in summer; arrive at least 30 minutes early for the security check. Plan about 90 minutes for each of the two camps.