If you’re a WWII buff or enjoy visiting meaningful historic places and you’re in Poland, then Birkenau is a must-see. Birkenau, also known as Auschwitz II, was a concentration camp near Brzezinka built by the Germans during the Second World War. It had the largest population of prisoners, with separate sections for women and men. There were also separate areas for gypsy families and Jewish families moved out of Theresienstadt. In 1942 the Nazis began using the barns at Birkenau for their gassing operations.
The museum was founded within two years of the end of the Second World War as a “historical document”. It was to teach future generations of the atrocities committed during WWII and of the people that died there using less morbid visual representations. It was built by former prisoners and houses some of the personal possessions left behind after the final evacuation in 1945.
The legal documents and evidence of the crimes committed at Auschwitz-Birkenau and photographs were collected after the camp evacuated. These are on display in a permanent exhibition in the museum. Other exhibitions include the “forbidden art” created by prisoners. Their paintings, drawings, and sculptures were a way to escape their barbed-wire surroundings. Various temporary open-air exhibitions have focused on selected individuals in the nearby towns, foreign dignitaries that have visited the site, and photography from the region.
Visitors are free to wander the camp on their own. Take a stroll through the residential barracks, the bathhouses, kitchens, and warehouses. Get a firsthand glimpse into the conditions experienced by millions of prisoners behind barbed-wire fences. Take a moment of quiet reflection at Bunker 1 and 2 also known as the “killing chambers.” Along with Auschwitz I, it has become a symbol of the Holocaust.
By walking:
Take a walk from Oświęcim to Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a journey of 1.3 km that is covered in 15 minutes.
Museum Bus:
Every hour the museum bus shuttles from one concentration camp to another. Departures from the former Auschwitz concentration camp: between April to October every 10 minutes, between November to March every 30 minutes. No bus fare is required.
Taxi:
Take a taxi from Oświęcim to Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau. It is a journey of 1.3 km that is covered in 1 minute and costs 10 to 13 PLN.
Tour of the museum by children under the age of 14 is not recommended.
Visitors to the grounds of the Museum should behave with due solemnity and respect. Visitors are obliged to dress in a manner befitting a place of this nature.
Due to the expected heat, we advise one to have water and headgear while visiting. Because of the high temperatures the visit at the Memorial might be shorter.
The maximum size of backpacks or handbags brought into the Museum cannot exceed dimensions: 30x20x10 cm. Please leave your bags in your cars or buses or use the locker available.
The grounds and most of the buildings at the sites of the Auschwitz I and Auschwitz II-Birkenau sites are open to visitors. Some buildings are not accessible to visitors (including the blocks reserved for the Museum administration and its departments).
Due to safety reasons, wheelchair access is only possible on the ground floor of buildings included in the tour.
There are several places at Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau where they ask you to refrain from taking photographs
Be sure to wear comfortable footwear as there will be a lot of walking, particularly on uneven ground.
December:
Sunday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Monday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m to 2:00 p.m.
January and November:
Sunday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Monday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m to 3:00 p.m.
February:
Sunday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Monday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m to 4:00 p.m.
March and October:
Sunday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Monday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m to 5:00 p.m.
April, May and September:
Sunday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Monday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m to 6:00 p.m.
June, July and August:
Sunday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Monday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Thursday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Saturday: 7:30 a.m to 7:00 p.m.
Waiting Time
You might experience 20 minutes of waiting at queues during peak season, due to large crowds.
Entrance Fee
Time you can spend
3 hours
Weather
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