Auschwitz I Memorial

Auschwitz I in Oświęcim (pronounced osh-VYEN-cheem), southern Poland, is the original camp of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz-Birkenau and today the main site of the Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum. Its brick blocks hold the exhibitions that document how more than a million people were murdered here. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a place of remembrance rather than a sightseeing stop, so a visit needs advance booking, time and a quiet frame of mind.

Where it is and how to get there

Oświęcim lies roughly 60 km (about 40 miles) west of Kraków. Both Kraków-Balice and Katowice airports are around 50 km from the Memorial, and many visitors come as a day trip from Kraków. Direct buses run from Kraków to the Museum car park, and buses and minibuses also connect the site with Katowice. The Oświęcim railway station is about 1.5–2 km away, reachable by local bus, taxi or on foot. The Visitor Service Center and the free Museum car park are at Więźniów Oświęcimia 55; luggage lockers are available there. Auschwitz II-Birkenau is about 3 km away.

A brief history

After invading Poland, Germany annexed the area, renamed the town Auschwitz and in 1940 set up a concentration camp in former Polish army barracks. The first mass transport – 728 Polish political prisoners from Tarnów – arrived on June 14, 1940. In the basement of Block 11, in the fall of 1941, the SS first used Zyklon B to kill people, murdering Soviet prisoners of war and sick inmates.

From 1942 Auschwitz became the largest center for the murder of European Jews, with most killings carried out at nearby Birkenau. The Museum's historians estimate that at least 1.1 million people died in the Auschwitz complex, about one million of them Jews; the victims also included Poles, Roma and Sinti, Soviet POWs and prisoners of other nationalities. Soviet troops reached the camp on January 27, 1945, now International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The Polish parliament established the Museum on July 2, 1947, and UNESCO inscribed the site in 1979 as "Auschwitz Birkenau – German Nazi Concentration and Extermination Camp (1940–1945)". Around 1.95 million people visited in 2025.

What you will see at Auschwitz I

The route begins at the gate bearing the words "Arbeit macht frei". Inside the former main camp you will find:

• the main exhibition in several blocks, with documents, photographs and belongings taken from victims – suitcases, shoes, glasses, pots;
• Block 11 and the Execution Wall, where prisoners were shot; the courtyard is a zone of silence;
• Crematorium I and its gas chamber, partly reconstructed after the war;
• national exhibitions prepared by countries whose citizens were deported here, and the "Shoah" exhibition with the Book of Names.

The Museum notes that part of the Block 5 exhibition and the exhibition in Block 14 are currently closed, and conservation work can close other buildings temporarily.

Tickets, guided tours and booking

Entry is free, but you must book a personal entry pass online. Since March 1, 2026 passes are issued only at visit.auschwitz.org – there is no ticket desk at the entrance. Booking opens daily at noon, up to 90 days ahead. Free passes for an independent visit are released no later than seven days before the date or until they run out. Individual passes cannot be changed or refunded, and staff check your ID against the name on the pass. Use only the official website; the Museum warns against look-alike sites.

Guided or independent? Under the visitor regulations in force since July 1, 2026, during the busiest hours you can enter only with a Museum educator. In October that means 7:30 a.m.–4:00 p.m.; in November and January 7:30 a.m.–2:00 p.m.; in December 7:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m. The general guided tour takes about 3.5 hours (roughly 90 minutes at each site) and is offered in many languages, including English. An individual guided pass costs PLN 150 for a tour in a foreign language (PLN 140 in Polish); the reduced rate is PLN 140/130 (price list valid from January 2, 2026). Personal audio guides and sound equipment are not allowed on site.

Security. Arrive at least 30 minutes before your slot. Bags may not exceed 35 × 25 × 15 cm (about 14 × 10 × 6 in); everything is screened, including by X-ray.

Opening hours and winter visits

The Memorial is open daily all year except January 1, December 25 and Easter Sunday. The hours published by the Museum are entry times; you may stay 90 minutes after the last entry (as of October 2026):

• October: entry 7:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m., site open until 6:30 p.m.
• November and January: entry until 3:00 p.m., open until 4:30 p.m.
• December: entry until 2:00 p.m., open until 3:30 p.m.
• February: entry until 4:00 p.m., open until 5:30 p.m.

In winter the window for independent visits is only the last hour of admission. Dress warmly for Birkenau, which is a vast open site, and stay on marked paths.

Is it suitable for children? Visitor rules

The Museum recommends the visit for people aged 14 and over. Dress respectfully; eating, smoking, alcohol and pets (except assistance dogs) are prohibited, and strollers cannot be taken into the blocks. Wheelchair users can visit the ground floors of buildings on the route. Flash and tripods are banned indoors, and photography is not allowed at all in Block 4 (Room 5) or in the basement of Block 11. The area is a no-fly zone for drones.

Nearby

To understand the town beyond the camp, visit the Auschwitz Jewish Center with the last surviving synagogue in Oświęcim – before the war, most residents were Jewish – and the Oświęcim Castle Museum, which covers the town's long history.