German Nazi extermination camp in Bełżec (1942–1943) / Niemiecki nazistowski obóz zagłady w Bełżcu (1942–1943)

Overview

State Museum at Majdanek (branch)

SS-Sonderkommando Belzec was the first extermination camp created by the SS in the General Government within the framework of “Einsatz Reinhardt”. It was also the first to apply stationary gas chambers, and served as a testing ground and a model for other killing centres. At least 434,000 Jews (mostly Polish) were deported there and murdered in 1942 alone, while only two known survivors have left written testimonies. The camp was shut down in late 1942 and systematically destroyed by June 1943. The Museum and Memorial in Bełżec, which works as a branch of the State Museum at Majdanek, protects the former camp grounds with mass graves, and through exhibitions, research and education strives to restore the victims’ identities from anonymity.