"A chilling blueprint for genocide, The Making of Auschwitz uncovers the deadly architecture behind the largest mass murder factory in history."
Commemorating 80 years since the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, The Making of Auschwitz reveals the chilling construction of the largest mass murder factory in history. Drawing from hundreds of captured German documents, architectural plans, and key records from the Building Office archive, this book provides a unique historical source detailing the architectural and operational planning behind the genocide.
It explores how the SS relied on civilian expertise to install crucial systems like electricity, sewage, and heating, and how external contractors eagerly participated for financial gain. From the earliest days of Birkenau's construction in 1941 to the inclusion of crematoria and gas chambers by 1943, the book traces the evolution of the camp into an industrial killing machine. Despite Himmler's order in 1944 to dismantle the extermination facilities, many structures remained intact when the Red Army arrived on January 27, 1945. The discovery of crucial construction blueprints, untouched by the SS's attempt to destroy them, offers an undeniable record of the atrocities planned and executed at Auschwitz.
With rare photographs, detailed captions, and a comprehensive analysis, this book provides an essential study of those responsible for the murder of over 1 million people.
