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Auschwitz Definition

By , About.com Guide

A picture of Auschwitz's electrified fence.

View of Auschwitz's double, electrified, barbed wire fence and barracks.

(Photo courtesy USHMM)
Definition: Nazi death camp built near Oswiecim, Poland. Heinrich Himmler ordered its creation on April 27, 1940. Composed of three large camps which housed five crematoria and forty-five subcamps. An estimated 1.1 million people were killed at this death camp.

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