Auschwitz I

Initially Auschwitz included 20 buildings most of which were single story. In 1941-42 a second story was added to all ground-floor buildings and 8 new buildings (or blocks) were constructed. The prison population during this period ranged from 13,000 to 20,000 people crammed into every conceivable space.  The sign in the foreground reads “Caution: high tension. Mortal Danger. Entering this zone near the fence was forbidden and any prisoners finding themselves too close to the fence would be shot without warning. (Picture taken by Steven Mercatante on September 5, 2014).