Auschwitz facts in numbers – inside Auschwitz today

Statistics are specific and bald facts – Numbers are just numbers. However, sometimes they can be really terrifying. Especially, if you look inside Auschwitz facts concentration camp. The numbers connected with this place of terror can appall, but they also can give a food for reflection. In fact, such reflection often make us count our blessings of freedom… Find out about shocking facts of former Nazi concentration camp history and  about Auschwitz today.

Table of contents:

1. 1. 1. Auschwitz concentration camp Museum
      2. Nazi officers in Auschwitz
      3. Life in Auschwitz concentration camp
      4. Imprisoned and dead
      5. Extermination in Auschwitz concentration camp
      6. After the war 

Auschwitz facts – Auschwitz today

Auschwitz today constitutes one of the greatest museum in the country. Undoubtedly, it’s a valuable memorial reminding us about inhumanity and evil of the war. Inside Auschwitz museum one can find an impressive collection of ruins and original camp objects.

• 300 experienced guides with 19 languages in total inside Auschwitz museum
• 191 ha of terrain (Auschwitz – 20 ha, Auschwitz II – 171 ha)
• 155 objects (barracks, blocks)
• 300 ruins (with 4 gas chambers and crematoriums)
• 13 km of fence
• 3 600 concrete posts

There is also a huge historical collection inside the Auschwitz concentration camp Museum. It includes the personal property of prisoners. Upon arrival at the camp, Germans deprived them of all luggage and personal goods, that were collected after the war. In consequence, we can see remarkable collections of Auschwitz today.

• 110 000 shoes 
• 3 800 suitcases
• 12 000 pots
• 470 of prosthesis and orthosis 
• 350 pieces of clothes 
• 4 500 works of art

Archive inside Auschwitz concentration camp museum:

• 250 m of documents including prisoners letters, personal records and death certificates.

Undoubtedly, these documents are valuable source of historical information about camp activity. In fact, they were very important proofs during Trials of War Criminals after World War II.

Tours in Auschwitz concentration camp museum:

• 170 000 visitors in 1947 
• Over 2 000 000 visitors  inside Auschwitz in 2016 

If you want to know more about Auschwitz today check this site: www.krakow.wiki/auschwitz

Auschwitz facts – Nazi officers

In comparison to the number of prisoners in Auschwitz concentration camp, the personnel was was too smaller group. However, they had an immense power. A power that made all inmates stay obeyed, scared and weak. Beside few revolts in the camp, they managed to keep masses down and quiet. Unfortunately, many of them never took the consequences of their inhuman actions…

• 8 100 – 8 200 SS men 
• 200 female supervisors  
• 70 % of officers with only elementary education
• 673 punished Nazi officers after the war (15 %)

Auschwitz facts – Life inside Auschwitz concentration camp

How prisoners’ everyday life looked like? Well, in this case, probably the better word than life is “existence” or “struggle” for survival. How long one can live with such small amount of food and sleep?

• 1200 prisoners in one barrack (designated for 700)
• 62 barracks for 4 toilet barrack and 2 washing barracks
• 1 latrine for 30 000 – 32 000 in women’s camp
• 0,5 l of “coffee” for breakfast
• 1 l of soup for lunch
• 300 g of dark bread and 25 g of sausage/butter for dinner
• 1 m² of space in rooms “for standing” for punished inmates
• 25 – official maximum number of  hits by a whip 
• 3000 babies delivered by one nun – Stanislawa Leszczynska
• 928 prisoners’ escapes (196 with success) 

Auschwitz facts – imprisoned and dead

These numbers are the biggest and most trilling among all calculations concerning Auschwitz concentration camp. Also, they are a summary of Holocaust overwhelming death toll.

• around 1 300 000 imprisoned  including 1 100 000 Jews , 150 000 Poles , 23 000 Gypsies , 15 000 Soviet captives

• around 1 100 000 killed including: 1 000 000 Jews , 75 000 Poles , 21 000 Gypsies , 15 000 Soviet captives , 15 000 other nations

• There were around 400 000 children among all 1 300 000 prisoners.

However, nobody actually knows the exact number of people killed in Auschwitz Birkenau. Undoubtedly, there are many victims whose deaths have never been revealed. Nevertheless, numerous experts had gathered as much data as they could and concluded estimated numbers.

Auschwitz facts – Extermination

Extermination was a very complicated process. In fact, Nazis needed a lot of supply to kill so many in such short time. Needles to say that they became real masters in mass killing.

• 728 prisoners in the first transport to Auschwitz concentration camp in 1940 
• 4 huge gas chambers and crematorium
• 6 000 being killed in one gas chamber in on day
• 23,8 tons of deadly Zyklon B sold to Auschwitz.
• 20 min – time needed to kill a person by Zyklon B
• 200 Jews killed after the most tragic escape from the camp 
• 4 500 “police prisoners” executed by shooting 

Auschwitz facts – after the war

Finally, the war came to an end. Red Army stepped inside Auschwitz concentration camp. In consequence, they found plenty of exhausted or half-dead creatures left by Nazis during the evacuation. Although prisoners were taken under the care of Red Cross, many of them died quickly after liberation. However, those who survived imprisonment in camp,  were never simply free. Psychical damage occurred to be totally overwhelming for many of them.

• 7 000 seek and exhausted prisoners found in liberated camp by Red Army.
• 4 500 prisoners under treatment of Soviet doctors and Polish Red Cross.
• 700 liberated children (500 under age of 15) 
• 60 000 000 reichsmarks generated for Nazi state by slave labor
• 108 – age of the oldest known survivor Antoni Dobrowolski.