Bełżec extermination camp facts for kids

Bełżec was the first of the World War II Nazi German death camps. It was built as part of a secret Nazi plan called "Operation Reinhard". This plan was a key part of Hitler's "Final Solution", which was the Nazi goal to kill all Jewish people in Europe.

The camp operated from March 17, 1942, until the end of December 1942. Bełżec camp was located about half a kilometer (0.3 miles) south of the local train station in Bełżec, in German-occupied Poland.

What Was Bełżec?

Bełżec was a place where the Nazis murdered hundreds of thousands of people. It was designed specifically for killing, not for holding prisoners for long periods. The Nazis built it to carry out their terrible plan against the Jewish people.

The Camp's Purpose

The main purpose of Bełżec was to kill Jewish people quickly and secretly. It was part of a larger system of death camps set up by the Nazis during World War II. These camps were a central part of the Holocaust, a time when about six million Jewish people were murdered.

Who Was Killed There?

Historians believe that between 430,000 and 500,000 Jews were murdered by the German SS (a powerful Nazi organization) at Bełżec. An unknown number of Christian Poles and Roma people were also killed there. These victims were brought to the camp by train from different parts of Europe.

Few Survivors

Very few people survived Bełżec. Only seven Jewish prisoners who were forced to work in the camp's Sonderkommando (special units of prisoners forced to help with the killing process) survived World War II. Only one of these survivors later shared his story publicly. Because so few people survived to tell what happened, much less is known about Bełżec compared to other Nazi camps.

Images for kids

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  Jewish people being sent to Bełżec from Zamość, April 1942

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  Nazi SS staff at Bełżec death camp, 1942. From right to left: Heinrich Barbl, Artur Dachsel, Lorenz Hackenholt, Ernst Zierke, Karl Gringers, (unknown), Reinhold Feiks, Karl Alfred Schluch, and Friedrich Tauscher (front left).

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  Page 8 from "Raczyński's Note" showing Treblinka, Bełżec, and Sobibor death camps. This was part of an official note from the Polish government-in-exile to Anthony Eden, December 10, 1942.

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  This document, called the Höfle Telegram, confirms that 434,508 Jewish people were murdered at Bełżec in 1942.

See also

In Spanish: Campo de exterminio de Bełżec para niños