Judenrampe - Prisoner Unloading Area (Until Early 1944) (Brzezinka)

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When most people think of the arrival of Jews at Auschwitz-Birkenau , they think of the rail lines inside the Birkenau camp, passing through the "Gate of Death" of the entry building. However, these rails were only installed in the spring of 1944, and only the large shipments of Jews from Hungary in May-June 1944 arrived there. Prior to this, from the spring of 1942 until about May of 1944, Jews and other deportees arrived at the so-called Judenrampe, the Jewish platform. This was a rail line, later expanded to several rail lines, that passed to the west of the Auschwitz main camp, between there and the later Birkenau camp. This rail line was the main civilian line passing the Oświęcim train station and on to the south and west.

The civilian rail line was enlarged into a multi-track freight station called "Bahnhof West." Part of this was the enlarged Judenrampe, which eventually had a concrete platform some 500 meters long, complete with powerful lights to light up the arrival and selection process at night. During this selection process, men were separated from women and children, then those who were deemed fit for work were separated from those others who were sent immediately to the gas chambers. An estimated 600-900,000 Jews, Gypsies, and other deportees arrived at the Auschwitz complex via this Judenrampe.

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www.thirdreichruins.com/auschwitzjudenrampe.htm