The Death Gate at Auschwitz II – Birkenau is one of the most recognisable and symbolic sites associated with the Holocaust. This grim structure, built in the early 1940s, is both a terrifying sign of human suffering and a warning to future generations, recalling the dark events of the 20th century and the need to preserve the memory of the victims of Nazi crimes.
The Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, part of the Auschwitz complex, was established by order of Heinrich Himmler in 1940 as a place for Polish political prisoners. Shortly after the start of Auschwitz I, a decision of the Nazi authorities began to expand the camp into another part, Auschwitz II – Birkenau. The camp became the main place for the extermination of Poles, Jews, Roma, Soviet prisoners of war and prisoners of other nationalities.
Photo author: Paweł Sawicki, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Construction of the Death Gate began in the spring of 1941. Prisoners in the camp were forced to work on its construction, which often ended in death from exhaustion and disease. The walls of the gate were made of red brick and the whole was covered with a pitched roof. The building consisted of two interconnected parts, creating a passageway for the prisoners entering the camp. On the sides were small rooms for the guards.
The direct railway line, located under the crossing, was not established until the spring of 1944. It enabled the direct transport of prisoners to the camp. Above the crossing rose a two-storey guard tower, whose windows offered an excellent view of Auschwitz II – Birkenau. The entire camp was surrounded by a double 3-metre high fence of live barbed wire. There were guard towers every 50 metres and the area around the gate was illuminated by floodlights at night, making any escape impossible.
Prisoners arriving at the camp passed through the Death Gate on their way to selection. Those deemed fit for work were sent to the barracks, where a life of slavery in inhuman conditions awaited them. The others were sent straight to the gas chambers, where they were killed immediately. It is estimated that more than one million people passed through the Gate of Death, the vast majority of whom – around 90% – were Jews.
The main gate in 1959 and 2009. Source: Deutsches Bundesarchiv (Licence: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Germany) and JureK, Licence: CC-BY-SA 3.0
The Death Gate at Auschwitz-Birkenau has become not only a monument to the past, but also a symbol of remembrance and a warning to future generations. The site prompts reflection on the atrocities that human beings can inflict on others. It is also a reminder of the need to build a world based on respect, peace and mutual understanding.
Today, the building is an integral part of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Every year, thousands of people from all over the world visit the site to pay tribute to the victims and to learn about the history of the Holocaust. The Museum runs numerous educational programmes to preserve the memory of the victims and to educate future generations about a tragedy that should never be repeated.
Source: episodesfromauschwitz.pl, auschwitz.org
Read also: Architecture in Poland | History | Auschwitz | Interesting facts | Monuments
