Nazi Germany created a vast system of prisons, forced labor camps, and sites of mass extermination.
Of these, Auschwitz-Birkenau Concentration and Extermination Camp, including its forty plus sub-camps, was the largest in area as well as in the number of its victims.
Auschwitz-Birkenau was built on the outskirts of the southern Polish town of Oświeçim.
During the war, Oświeçim was renamed Auschwitz by the Nazis.
In less than five years, approximately 1,300,000 men, women, and children were transported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. Of these, approximately 1,100,000 were murdered shortly after their arrival or died in the camp.
Approximately 90 percent of those who were murdered or died were Jews.