Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. The Nazi camp personnel, the Totenkopf SS, dismantled the gas chamber and krematorium hardware and blew up the buildings in an effort to avoid discovery in the face of the advancing Russians who liberated the camp in Jan. 1945. Many people mistakenly think Auschwitz, and Birkenau (Auschwitz II) are in Germany; actually they're in Poland.
For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html

Part of the ruins of Krematorium II Birkenau, as photographed in 1980. The Nazi camp personnel, the Totenkopf SS, dismantled the gas chamber and krematorium hardware and blew up the buildings in an effort to avoid discovery in the face of the advancing Russians who liberated the camp in Jan. 1945. Many people mistakenly think Auschwitz, and Birkenau (Auschwitz II) are in Germany; actually they're in Poland.
For interactive map of Birkenau go to http://www.remember.org/camps/birkenau/index.html