Life in the camps

© Wiener Library

The Nazis established camps where they imprisoned the victims of their hatred. In total, the Nazis created approximately 20,000 camps – including transit, forced labour, and extermination camps throughout German-occupied countries. Camp inmates were subject to forced labour, overcrowding, poor sanitary conditions, starvation and cruel treatment with many thousands dying.

The Nazis extended the camp system to include 6 extermination camps: Chelmno, Treblinka, Sobibor, Belzec, Majdanek and Auschwitz-Birkenau. The mobile killing units which were originally used to kill inmates were expanded with the development of gas chambers.

You can read more about Life in the Camps on our website. Survivor Stories can tell us more about what life was like in the camps.

• Arrival and Selection at the ramp at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Arrival at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Auschwitz camp buildings (JPG image)
• Death Steps at Mauthausen (JPG image)
• Double Fence at Auschwitz (JPG image)
• Female inmates sorting belongings of gassed jews at the Kanada store in June 1944 1 (JPG image)
• Female inmates sorting belongings of gassed jews at the Kanada store in June 1944 2 (JPG image)
• Female inmates sorting belongings of gassed jews at the Kanada store in June 1944 3 (JPG image)
• Gates Railway and Tower at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Inmates at Poniatowa camp at work (JPG image)
• Majdanek extermination camp postwar (JPG image)
• Mass Grave at Bergen Belsen (JPG image)
• Panorama of barracks at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Selection at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Selection of Jews on arrival at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Shoes at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Shoes from inmates at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Slave labourers in Krakow Plaszow camp 1 (JPG image)
• Slave labourers Krakow Plaszow camp 2 (JPG image)
• Sleeping bunks in Buchenwald (JPG image)
• Sleeping quarters at Auschwitz Birkenau (JPG image)
• Suitcases at Auschwitz (JPG image)
• Toothbrushes taken from gassed inmates at Auschwitz (JPG image)
• Woman at Displaced Persons Camp (JPG image)