Central sauna (Auschwitz concentration camp)

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Central sauna in Birkenau
Display board with the floor plan of the central sauna

The so-called “ Central Sauna ” , “Central Sauna” or “New Sauna” (officially BW 32 ) was a single-storey brick building in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp . It was used as a " disinfestation and disinfection facility " for the reception of deported people who were to remain as prisoners in the Auschwitz concentration camp . This largest object in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp was put into operation in mid-December 1943 after a nine-month construction period. The “Central Sauna” was located in the BIIg section of the warehouse in the immediate vicinity of the Canada effects warehouse .

Admission procedure

During the admission procedure, the newly registered prisoners in the left wing of the building first had to undress and take a cold or hot shower under the observation of the SS guards . They were then given concentration camp inmate clothing and shoes. The inmates' hair was then shaved, which often resulted in scalp injuries. Jewish prisoners were in the Central Sauna by camp doctors a renewed selection subject and those who were considered but not "fit for work" were in the gas chambers killed.

Subsequently, the inmates intended to remain in the camp ( access ) were registered. Your personal details (name, last place of residence, relatives, occupation, etc.) were recorded by prisoners of the admission command on forms, the so-called prisoner personnel sheets, and later supplemented according to the files (reason for arrest, referring department, etc.). Last came the tattoo of prisoner number on his left forearm, which in other concentration camps was not practiced. The peculiarity of the tattoo of the detention number was introduced in Auschwitz in autumn 1941 in order to identify the corpses due to the high death rate of prisoners. The prisoners were then taken to the quarantine camp or transferred to prisoner blocks. In the following days, the prisoners were still photographed, which was practiced regularly until 1943.

Periodically, prisoners who had already been admitted to the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp or their clothing were de-thinned in the “central sauna”, especially before they were transferred to other concentration camps . Further saunas were located in the main camp of Auschwitz in Block 26 and in Auschwitz-Birkenau in camp sections BIa and BIb.

Commemoration

The building, which was reconstructed with funds from the federal states, is part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum . The building has been accessible to visitors since April 2001 and houses two exhibitions:

  • The building "tells" its story ,
  • Before the Extinction - Photographs found in Auschwitz

Christian Wulff was the first German Federal President to give a speech in the former Auschwitz concentration camp. On January 27, 2011, in the former central sauna, he noted that Auschwitz was a “warning and obligation (...) to uphold human dignity under all circumstances”.

literature

  • Teresa Świebocka, Państwowe Muzeum Oświęcim: Architecture of Crime: The “Central Sauna” building in the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration camp , Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, 2001. ISBN 83-85047-94-8 . GWLB signature: 2001/9803
  • Wolfgang Benz , Barbara Distel (ed.): The place of terror . History of the National Socialist Concentration Camps. Volume 5: Hinzert, Auschwitz, Neuengamme. CH Beck, Munich 2007, ISBN 978-3-406-52965-8 . GWLB signature: 2005/8649: 5
  • Wacław Długoborski , Franciszek Piper (eds.): Auschwitz 1940-1945. Studies on the history of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. Verlag Staatliches Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau, Oswiecim 1999, ISBN 83-85047-76-X . GWLB signature: 2001/564. Five volumes:
    • I. Construction and structure of the camp.
    • II. The prisoners - living conditions, work and death.
    • III. Destruction.
    • IV. Resistance.
    • V. Epilog.

Web links

Commons : Central sauna  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Teresa Świebocka, Państwowe Muzeum Oświęcim: Architecture of Crime: The Building of the "Central Sauna" in the Auschwitz II-Birkenau Concentration Camp, "Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, 2001 , p. 14.
  2. ^ A b Claudia Curio: The instruments of mass extermination: gas chambers and crematoria . In: Wolfgang Benz, Barbara Distel (eds.): The place of terror. History of the National Socialist Concentration Camps . Vol. 5: Hinzert, Auschwitz, Neuengamme. CH Beck Verlag, Munich 2007, p. 122f.
  3. ↑ a b Irena Strzelecka, Piotr Setkiewicz: The camp section BIIg ("Canada II") . In: Aleksander Lasik: The organizational structure of KL Auschwitz. In: Wacław Długoborski, Franciszek Piper (eds.): Auschwitz 1940-1945. Studies on the history of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. , Oswiecim 1999, Volume 1: Structure and Structure of the Camp , pp. 114f.
  4. ↑ a b Tadeusz Iwaszko: transportation, admission, registration and identification of prisoners . In: In: Aleksander Lasik: The organizational structure of KL Auschwitz. In: Wacław Długoborski, Franciszek Piper (eds.): Auschwitz 1940-1945. Studies on the history of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. , Oswiecim 1999, Volume II: The prisoners - living conditions, work and death , p. 22ff
  5. ↑ Tadeusz Iwaszko: transportation, admission, registration and identification of prisoners . In: In: Aleksander Lasik: The organizational structure of KL Auschwitz. In: Wacław Długoborski, Franciszek Piper (eds.): Auschwitz 1940-1945. Studies on the history of the Auschwitz concentration and extermination camp. , Oswiecim 1999, Volume II: The prisoners - living conditions, work and death , p. 19f
  6. ↑ Helmut Morlok: The essence of this place is invisible - contribution of the German states to the preservation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau memorial . In: Auschwitz camp community - Friends of Auschwitz (PDF file; 1.03 MB), newsletter, volume 25, issue 1, p. 7.
  7. ↑ Konrad Schuller: Commemoration in Auschwitz - From the soldier who wished the enemy his life . In: Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung

Coordinates: 50 ° 2 ′ 21 ″  N , 19 ° 10 ′ 0.5 ″  E