For Immediate Release Media contacts: The Field Museum Pat Kremer 312/665-7100 Auschwitz-Birkenau – The Death Factory The Auschwitz concentration camp was built by the Nazis in 1940, in the suburbs of Oświęcim, Poland, which, like other parts of Poland, was occupied by the Germans during the Second World War. Auschwitz was the largest of the death camps (one of four established in Poland). The Germans picked the location because of its convenient transportation connections and because it was secluded and easy to camouflage. In its early years, the camp was a site of methodical killing of political prisoners –chiefly by means of starvation, inhuman housing conditions, hard labor, medical experiments, beatings, and executions. Over time, the camp was expanded and consisted of three main parts: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II- Birkenau, and Auschwitz III – Monowitz. It also contained more than 40 sub-camps. Beginning in 1942, Auschwitz became the site of the greatest mass murder in the history of humanity, committed against the European Jews, as part of Hitler’s plan for the complete destruction of these people, entitled the “Final Solution of the Jewish question.” The Jews were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau in cattle wagons. Upon arrival, the selection process began as they were inspected by SS doctors or other camp functionaries participating in the selection process. One of the most fundamental criteria of selection was age. As a rule, all children under 16 and the elderly were condemned to death. In 1944, the age limit was lowered to 14. Depending on the composition of a given transport group, up to 50 percent (and an average of 20 percent) were selected for work. They were brought to the camp, registered as prisoners, and tattooed with camp serial numbers on their arms. Out of some 1.1 million Jews deported to the camp, only 200,000 were selected for work. The remaining 900,000 Jews were exterminated. Those selected for death were escorted by SS men to the gas chambers. The people were told they would be placed in a camp, but first had to be disinfected and washed. After undressing, the victims were led to a gas chamber, the doors were locked, and the poison gas Zyklon B was released. Jewish prisoners were forced to remove the bodies from the gas chamber, cut off the women’s hair, and remove all precious metals from dental work and jewelry. The bodies were incinerated in pits, on pyres, or in huge crematoriums. The largest, Crematorium II, had the ability to incinerate more than 1,400 bodies every 24 hours. In total, the four crematoria could incinerate 4,416 bodies in 24 hours. More than 1.6 million bodies could be cremated in these installations per year. Admission Admission to The Auschwitz Album: The Story of a Transport is free with general admission to The Field Museum ($12 for adults, $7 for children 4-11, seniors, and students with ID). Discounts are available for Chicago residents. Visit www.fieldmuseum.org or call (312) 922-9410 for details. To purchase tickets call 866-FIELD-03 (866-343-5303), visit www.fieldmuseum.org or come to the Field Museum box office. Hours and General Information The Field Museum is open everyday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, except Christmas Day. Last tickets sold at 4 p.m. The Museum is located at 1400 S. Lake Shore Drive, in the heart of Museum Campus. Museum Campus is accessible via CTA bus lines #6, #12 and #146, and by the El, Metra and South Shore lines. Indoor parking is conveniently located steps from the Museum’s south entrance in the Soldier Field Parking Garage. The Auschwitz Album: The Story of a Transport was created by Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Martyrs’ and Heroes’ Remembrance Authority in Israel. The Field Museum’s presentation is made possible by the American Society for Yad Vashem. Generous support has been provided by the Crown family. <<Back to the Press Room