"Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum While unspeakably sad and heart-rending, a visit to the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum is an important one. Located in the small town of Oświęcim (better known by its German name, Auschwitz, as this area of Poland was part of the Third Reich during World War II), this was the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp, where more than 1.5 million people—90 percent of them Jews from Poland and throughout Europe—died from 1940 to 1945. The former camp consisted of three parts: Auschwitz, Birkenau (where the gas chambers were located), and Monowitz (where a chemical camp was run by prison labor). Today, the barracks at Auschwitz have been turned into the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, while Birkenau has been preserved to look much as it did after the liberation. Admission to the grounds is free, but visitors must reserve a time slot online to help control crowds—about 2 million people visit every year. Alternatively, you can book a guided tour to learn more about this significant site."