Oświęcim

Oświęcim, called Auschwitz in German, is located near the confluence of the Soła and Wisła rivers in the Małopolskie (Lesser Poland) province of Polska (Poland). It has a population of 41 thousand.¹ Prior to World War II about half the population was Jewish but they were exterminated by the Germans. The extermination camp of Auschwitz-Birkenau was located just outside the city; over a million Jews were murdered there.² The grim heritage is noted by UNESCO who makes the camp complex a World Heritage Site, and many visitors witness the past.

External references

train tracks leading into the former extermination site of Auschwitz-Birkenau, by Oświęcim, Polska (Poland)

Footnotes

1. Figure for 2006 from the side banner of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/O%C5%9Bwi%C4%99cim.
2. UNESCO, World Heritage Sites (Firefly Books, 2010).