This photograph shows three SS officers at the Solahütte, an SS retreat at Międzybrodzkie Lake south of Auschwitz. It was taken in late July 1944. Pictured from left to right: Richard Baer, Josef Mengele, and Rudolf Höss. All three men held leadership positions within the Auschwitz camp complex and were intimately involved in the mass murder of Jews. It is likely that this picture was taken at an event honoring Höss, who at the time was preparing to leave Auschwitz for another assignment.
The photo is from SS officer Karl Höcker's photograph album. The Höcker album includes 116 pictures taken in and around Auschwitz between June 1944 and January 1945. Among the images are photographs of official visits and ceremonies at Auschwitz, as well as personal photographs. Some of the images depict social activities that Höcker and other members of the Auschwitz camp staff participated in. This image is one of six photographs in a series. In the album, there is a handwritten caption describing the photo series as "At the Solahütte" ("Auf der Solahütte").
We would like to thank Crown Family Philanthropies, Abe and Ida Cooper Foundation, the Claims Conference, EVZ, and BMF for supporting the ongoing work to create content and resources for the Holocaust Encyclopedia. View the list of donor acknowledgement.
