Oświęcim
Poland
German Auschwitz
city, Małopolskie województwo (province), southern Poland. It lies at the confluence of the Vistula and Soła rivers. A rail junction and industrial centre, the town became known as the site of an infamous Nazi extermination camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau (Oświęcim-Brzezinka), established in 1940 (see Auschwitz). The Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum, founded there in 1946, serves as a memorial to those victims of World War II. A chemical factory built by the prisoners was rebuilt after the war and is now a major industrial plant.
Oświęcim began in the 12th century and received municipal rights in the 13th century. It served as the capital of a sovereign duchy that in 1307 swore allegiance to Bohemia. Annexed to Poland in 1457 and passed to Austria in 1772, it was returned to Poland in 1918. After World War II a new industrial town was built. Pop. (2002) 41,946.