Inside of a large warehouse. The floor is littered with large piles of clothing of every shape, size, and color. A few uniformed soldiers can be seen in the background, walking amongst the clothing.

What were Nazi Killing Centers?

Nazi Germany established killing centers where they murdered Jews in gas chambers. Killing centers are sometimes called “death camps” or “extermination camps.”

During the Holocaust, the Nazis built killing centers to murder Jews and other victims using poisonous gas. The Nazi killing centers are also sometimes called “extermination camps” or “death camps.” The Nazis murdered Jews in killing centers as part of the “Final Solution”—the Nazi plan to murder Europe’s Jews. At the killing centers, the Nazis deceived, terrorized, and dehumanized their victims before murdering them.

Why did the Nazis murder Jews in killing centers?

The Nazis murdered Jews because the Nazis were radically antisemitic. Antisemitism is the prejudice against or hatred of Jewish people. The Nazi form of antisemitism was extreme. It was based on the false idea that Jews were a separate and inferior race. Antisemitism led the Nazis to target Jewish people and to carry out the genocide now known as the Holocaust. 

During World War II (1939–1945), the Nazis built killing centers to murder Jews with poisonous gas. In addition to building killing centers, the Nazis and their partners also murdered Jews at other locations and in other ways. This included starving and abusing Jews imprisoned in ghettos and camps. It also included killing entire Jewish communities in mass shooting operations.  

How many killing centers did the Nazis build? 

Nazi Germany created and operated five killing centers to murder Jews. They were called:

  • Chełmno (called Kulmhof in German); 
  • Belzec; 
  • Sobibor; 
  • Treblinka; and 
  • Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The Nazis created each of these five sites specifically for the mass murder of Jewish people. At the killing centers, the Nazis murdered Jewish people of all ages and from many countries. 

Where were the Nazi killing centers located? 

Most of the killing centers were located out of the way, in rural areas where not many people lived. Because of this, they were fairly well hidden from public view. But, even though the killing centers were usually in rural areas, they were still accessible by railroad lines. This allowed the Nazis and their helpers to transport people by train to the killing centers. Sometimes the Nazis also used trucks. In English, these transports are often called “deportations.”

All five killing centers were located in German-occupied Poland, where millions of Jewish people lived. 

How did the Nazis murder Jews at killing centers? 

At the killing centers, the Nazis murdered Jewish people by cramming their victims into an enclosed space and exposing them to poisonous gas. The victims died as a result of asphyxiation. “Asphyxiation” means lack of oxygen. In some cases, the Nazis also shot Jewish people at the killing centers. 

Was anyone kept alive at the killing centers?

Almost all Jews sent to Nazi killing centers were murdered right away. But, at all five killing centers, the Nazis temporarily kept a small number of Jewish prisoners alive. The Nazis made these prisoners help carry out the killing process. Some prisoners had to sort the property that the Nazis had stolen from the victims. Others had to search corpses for valuables, including gold teeth. One of the most physically and emotionally demanding tasks was removing the dead bodies from the gas chambers and transporting them to mass graves or crematoria. Crematoria are sometimes referred to in English as “furnaces” or “ovens.” 

The Nazis treated the Jewish prisoners at the killing centers with extreme cruelty and violence. Most of these workers did not survive in the killing centers for very long.  

Did anyone escape the Nazi killing centers?

A small number of Jewish prisoners escaped from the killing centers. Some escaped alone or in a small group. Others escaped during revolts at the Sobibor and Treblinka killing centers. Many of these escapees later described what they had seen at the killing centers in court testimonies, oral histories, and books. 

How many Jews did the Nazis murder at killing centers?

Of the 6 million Jews murdered by the Nazis and their partners in the Holocaust, approximately 2.7 million Jewish men, women, and children were murdered in the killing centers. This was almost half of all victims of the Holocaust.

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