Bełżec

Hidden Atrocities

A Deadly Purpose

Bełżec was one of the deadliest death camps built in Poland after its occupation by Germany. It was part of Operation Reinhard and had the primary purpose to kill as many Jews as possible.

The camp was open on the 17^th of March, 1943. It run for almost a year, yet it’s believed around 500,000 Jews were murdered there. Prisoners were killed in gas chambers with carbon monoxide gas produce by large diesel engines.

By the end of World War 2, only seven Jews were found alive.

The camp was closed before World War 2 ended. Mass graves around camps were unearthed with big diggers and bodies were cremated in a secret operation to hide the evidence of mass murders. The ash was mixed with crushed bones and sites were covered in vegetation.

The lack of witnesses to testify about what happened in Bełżec is why this camp isn’t as famous as others, despite the impressive death number count.

Items

Explore Bełżec

Kippot

These kippot were found buried where the camp was. As locals started digging looking for valuables, different people found different things. Jurek found them and decided to keep them as relics. He passed away since then, so he can’t offer more details, although he probably had no idea who they belonged to. His grandchildren found them in a box.

· Donated anonymously

Purse

In most Nazi camps, prisoners had to leave their belongings before being put into work or killed. This knitted purse indicates the fact that women were also taken there. According to the very few reports about the camp, women and children were separated from men. The bag was found empty by Paweł and kept as a war souvenir.

· Donated by the Haftka family

Mechanical Pencil

Based on what they did prior to being captured, prisoners brought in different things. Educators came with books and pens. This mechanical pencil was found in the rubble of the former camp. It was probably taken from an intellectual prisoner, but considered useless. It was found and kept as a war relic by Norbert.

· Donated by the Jaroszyński family

Many More Items

Our collection has countless other items to display. We are currently in the process of saving donations to open a physical museum, so we can display the entire collection. Any donation through the button below will be greatly appreciated and can help us preserve the memory of the Holocaust alive. Thank you.