Location: Treblinka, Masovian Voivodeship
Treblinka Museum of Struggle
and Martyrdom
Kosow Lacki 76
Tel. 025 781 1658
Open: 9am- 6:30pm daily
Nov- March: 9am- 4pm
Treblinka Extermination Camp, also known as
Treblinka II, was a Nazi extermination facility established as part of Operation
Reinhard, the systematic plan to murder nearly two million Jews in
German-occupied Poland (the General Government) during World War II. It was the
second-deadliest extermination camp after Auschwitz-Birkenau, operating from
July 23, 1942, to October 19, 1943, and responsible for the deaths of an
estimated 800,000 to 925,000 people, primarily Jews, along with around 2,000
Romani people and an unknown number of Poles and Soviet prisoners of war. Unlike
concentration camps that incorporated forced labor, Treblinka II was designed
exclusively as a "death factory" for rapid mass killing, with most victims
murdered within hours of arrival via carbon monoxide gas chambers. The camp was
named after the nearby village of Treblinka and was one of three Operation
Reinhard killing centers, alongside Belzec and Sobibor.
A separate but
related facility, Treblinka I, was a forced-labor camp (Arbeitslager)
established in November 1941, about one mile away, where approximately 20,000
inmates—mostly Jews and Poles—were held for gravel pit work and wood gathering.
Over half of them died from executions, starvation, disease, or abuse before its
closure in July 1944. Treblinka II, however, was the primary site of
extermination and is the focus of this description.
Treblinka was one of the deadliest Nazi extermination camps during
the Holocaust, operating as part of Operation Reinhard, the systematic
plan to murder nearly two million Jews in German-occupied Poland. It
consisted of two separate facilities: Treblinka I, a forced-labor camp
established in November 1941, and Treblinka II, the primary
extermination site built in the summer of 1942. Located in a forested
area about 80 kilometers northeast of Warsaw, near the village of
Treblinka in the Masovian Voivodeship, the camp was strategically chosen
for its remote setting and proximity to railway lines, facilitating the
transport of victims from ghettos across Poland and beyond. Treblinka
II, often simply referred to as Treblinka in historical contexts, was
the second-largest killing center after Auschwitz-Birkenau, responsible
for the deaths of an estimated 800,000 to 925,000 Jews, along with
approximately 2,000 Romani people and an unknown number of Poles. Unlike
multifunctional camps like Auschwitz, Treblinka was designed exclusively
as a "death factory," where most arrivals were murdered within hours of
disembarking from trains.
The camp's operation spanned from July 23,
1942, to October 19, 1943, a period of just over a year during which it
became a symbol of industrialized genocide. Its efficiency stemmed from
deception, rapid processing, and the use of gas chambers powered by
carbon monoxide. After the war, the site was largely erased by the Nazis
to conceal their crimes, but survivor testimonies, post-war
investigations, and recent archaeological work have pieced together its
horrific history.
Establishment and Construction
The origins
of Treblinka trace back to the broader Nazi strategy for the "Final
Solution," formalized at the Wannsee Conference in January 1942.
Operation Reinhard, named after assassinated SS leader Reinhard
Heydrich, aimed to exterminate Jews in the General Government region of
occupied Poland. Treblinka was the third and largest of the three
dedicated extermination camps, following Belzec (operational from March
1942) and Sobibor (from May 1942).
Treblinka I began as a penal labor
camp in late 1941, under the SS and Police Leader for the Warsaw
District. It housed around 20,000 prisoners, primarily Poles and some
Jews, forced to work in gravel pits and forestry. More than half died
from starvation, disease, abuse, or executions. In April–July 1942,
construction of Treblinka II commenced about 1.5 kilometers away,
overseen by SS officer Richard Thomalla and involving Jewish and Polish
forced laborers. The site covered 17 hectares, enclosed by barbed-wire
fences camouflaged with branches to hide it from view.
The camp was
divided into three sections: a reception area (with a fake railway
station to deceive arrivals), a living area for staff and selected
prisoner workers, and the killing zone (Totenlager) containing gas
chambers, burial pits, and later cremation pyres. It was staffed by
30–40 German and Austrian SS officers, assisted by 100–120 Ukrainian
guards (Trawniki men) trained at nearby facilities. The first commandant
was Irmfried Eberl, a physician replaced in August 1942 by Franz Stangl
due to operational inefficiencies and visible chaos from overflowing
bodies. Erwin Lambert supervised the construction of larger gas chambers
later in 1942.
Operation and Killing Process
Treblinka's
operations began on July 23, 1942, with the first transport from the
Warsaw Ghetto, where over 250,000 Jews were deported to the camp in the
following months. Trains carrying 5,000–7,000 people arrived daily,
often after grueling journeys without food or water. To maintain order
through deception, the camp mimicked a transit station with signs, a
clock, and even a band playing music.
Upon arrival, men and women
were separated in the reception area. Victims were ordered to undress,
surrender valuables, and have their hair cut (for use in German
industry). They were then herded through a narrow fenced path called the
"tube" or "road to heaven" to the gas chambers, under the pretext of
showers for disinfection. Initially, three small gas chambers (each 4x4
meters) used carbon monoxide from captured Soviet tank engines, killing
300–500 people per cycle in 20–30 minutes. By October 1942, these were
replaced by 10 larger chambers in a brick building, increasing capacity
to 2,000 victims at once.
Bodies were initially buried in mass
graves, but from early 1943, following orders to erase evidence after
the discovery of Katyn massacre graves, they were exhumed and cremated
on open-air pyres made from railway rails. A small group of 700–1,000
Jewish prisoners (Sonderkommando) was spared temporarily to sort
belongings, clean chambers, and maintain the camp. These workers faced
constant brutality and high turnover through selections and killings.
Victims and Scale of Atrocities
The vast majority of victims were
Jews from Polish ghettos (Warsaw, Białystok, Lublin), but transports
also came from occupied territories like Slovakia, Greece, and the
Protectorate of Bohemia and Moravia. In total, Treblinka claimed more
Jewish lives than any camp except Auschwitz. Non-Jewish victims included
Romani people and Poles suspected of resistance.
Daily murders peaked
at 10,000–12,000, with the camp processing up to 20 transports a week.
Survivor accounts, like those of Jankiel Wiernik and Samuel Willenberg,
describe unimaginable horrors: screams from gas chambers, the stench of
burning flesh, and skeletal remains analyzed in recent studies showing
trauma from beatings and shootings. By closure, the death toll reached
approximately 925,000, making it a cornerstone of the Holocaust's
mechanized murder.
The Prisoner Uprising
By mid-1943, with
fewer transports arriving due to the near-completion of Operation
Reinhard, prisoners realized liquidation was imminent. An underground
resistance formed, led by figures like Marceli Galewski and Zelo Bloch,
smuggling weapons from the armory using duplicated keys.
On August 2,
1943, around 1,000 prisoners revolted. They set fire to buildings,
attacked guards with axes and grenades, and cut fences. About 300–400
escaped initially, but most were recaptured or killed in manhunts. Only
70–100 survived the war, including Samuel Willenberg and Samuel Rajzman,
whose testimonies were crucial in post-war trials. The uprising damaged
the camp significantly, accelerating its dismantling.
Closure,
Cover-Up, and Immediate Aftermath
Following the revolt, the Nazis
liquidated remaining prisoners and dismantled Treblinka II by November
1943. Buildings were razed, ashes mixed with soil, and the site
disguised as a farm with planted trees. Franz Stangl was transferred to
Trieste, and many staff faced post-war justice.
Soviet forces reached
the site in 1944, uncovering mass graves. Initial investigations
revealed the scale of atrocities, but full details emerged through
survivor accounts and the 1945–1946 Treblinka trials in Düsseldorf and
other Nuremberg proceedings. Key figures like Stangl (extradited from
Brazil in 1967) were convicted; he died in prison in 1971.
Legacy
and Recent Discoveries
Today, the site is a memorial museum with
17,000 symbolic stones representing destroyed communities, established
in the 1960s. Archaeological work since 2010, led by figures like
Caroline Sturdy Colls, has uncovered gas chamber foundations, tiles, and
artifacts using non-invasive methods, confirming survivor descriptions
despite Nazi efforts to erase evidence. In 2025, Polish researchers
continue efforts to identify victims and preserve the site's history
against fading memory.
Situated approximately 50 miles (80 km) northeast of Warsaw in the
Masovian Voivodeship, Treblinka was located in a dense forest near the
Małkinia-Sokołów Podlaski railway line, halfway between major Jewish
population centers like Warsaw and Białystok. The site covered about 17
hectares (42 acres) and was trapezoidal in shape, measuring roughly
1,312 by 1,968 feet. It was divided into three main sections:
Camp 1 (Administrative and Living Area): Included barracks for SS staff,
Trawniki guards, and a small number of Jewish prisoners (Sonderkommando)
selected for forced labor. It housed offices, a clinic, storerooms,
workshops, a kitchen, and bakery.
Camp 2 (Reception Area): Featured a
railway spur with a disguised platform resembling a legitimate train
station, complete with fake signs, ticket windows, and a painted clock.
Here, victims disembarked, undressed in barracks, and had their
belongings sorted in a square. Women had their hair cut for use in
textiles.
Camp 3 (Killing Zone): Contained the gas chambers, mass
graves, and later cremation pyres. This area was isolated and
camouflaged.
The perimeter was secured with double barbed-wire
fences (up to 8 feet high), watchtowers, and camouflage using pine
branches to blend into the forest. A narrow, fenced path called the
"tube" (Himmelstraße or "road to heaven") connected the reception area
to the gas chambers.
The camp was staffed by 20-35 German and Austrian SS officers from
the Totenkopfverbände, many with prior experience in the T4 euthanasia
program. They were assisted by 80-120 Trawniki men—auxiliary guards
recruited from Soviet POWs (primarily Ukrainians, but also Russians,
Tatars, and others) trained at the Trawniki camp near Lublin. Key
figures included:
Irmfried Eberl (July-August 1942): First
commandant, a physician dismissed for incompetence in handling the
volume of arrivals and visible chaos.
Franz Stangl (September
1942-August 1943): Transferred from Sobibor; implemented efficiencies to
streamline killings.
Kurt Franz (August-November 1943): Last
commandant, known as "Lalka" (Doll) for his appearance; notorious for
cruelty, including using his dog Barry to attack prisoners.
Other
notable staff: Heinrich Matthes (oversaw gas chambers), Erwin Lambert
(built gas chambers), Karl Pötzinger (cremations), August Miete ("Angel
of Death," shot infirm), and Willi Mentz ("Frankenstein," executed in
the fake infirmary). A small Sonderkommando of 600-1,000 Jewish
prisoners handled body disposal, sorting belongings, and cleaning; they
were periodically killed and replaced.
Victims arrived in freight trains of 50-60 cars, holding 3,000-7,000
people each, often after days without food or water. Deception was
central: The platform mimicked a transit station, with announcements
promising showers, disinfection, and resettlement in the east. Upon
detraining:
Separation and Undressing: Men and women/children
were separated. Victims surrendered valuables (sorted and shipped to
Germany) and undressed, with assurances of reclaiming belongings
post-"delousing."
Path to Death: Naked victims were driven along the
"tube" to gas chambers disguised as showers. Infirm or resistant
individuals were diverted to a fake "Lazarett" (infirmary) and shot over
a pit.
Gassing: Initially three small chambers (each 4x4 meters,
holding 300-500); expanded to 6-10 larger ones (8x4 meters) by October
1942, killing up to 12,000-15,000 daily. Carbon monoxide from gasoline
or diesel engines (from Soviet tanks) was piped in, taking 20-30
minutes. Bodies were often found in contorted positions.
Body
Disposal: Initially buried in mass graves (50x25x10 meters) dug by
excavators. After Heinrich Himmler's visit in February-March 1943,
bodies were exhumed and cremated on open-air pyres (rail grates on
concrete blocks, fueled by wood and petrol) to erase evidence,
incinerating 10,000-12,000 at a time. Sonderkommando extracted gold
teeth and crushed bones.
Operations ran 24/7, with peaks of
22,000 killings per day. Guards like "Ivan the Terrible" (likely Ivan
Marchenko) tortured victims with whips and bayonets.
The Höfle Telegram documents 713,555 arrivals by December 1942; total estimates range from 700,000 to 925,000, with 800,000 as a common figure. Most were Polish Jews from ghettos: ~265,000 from Warsaw (July-September 1942), 346,000 from Radom, 110,000 from Białystok, and 33,300 from Lublin. Foreign victims included ~8,000 from Theresienstadt (Bohemia/Moravia), 11,000 from Bulgarian-occupied Thrace/Macedonia, and smaller groups from Germany, Austria, France, Slovakia, and Greece. About 2,000 Romani were killed, often shot or gassed; no known Romani survivors. Some Poles and Soviet POWs were also executed.
Gassings resumed briefly post-revolt but ended by October 1943, with final transports from Białystok. Globocnik declared Operation Reinhard complete in November 1943. Remaining prisoners dismantled structures (gas chambers reused for a farmhouse), plowed the site, planted lupines, and installed a Ukrainian watchman to pose as a farm. Last prisoners were shot in July 1944 as Soviets approached; the Red Army overran the area that month.
Post-war, the site was investigated by Polish and Soviet authorities,
revealing mass graves and evidence of cremations. Trials included
Düsseldorf (1964-1965): Kurt Franz sentenced to life; others like Miete
and Mentz also life terms. Stangl was tried in 1970 and died in prison.
Soviet trials executed guards like Feodor Fedorenko.
The site became
a Polish national monument in 1964, with 17,000 symbolic stones
representing destroyed communities, a central obelisk, and markers for
graves and pyres. The Museum of Treblinka opened in 2006. Survivor
accounts include Wiernik's A Year in Treblinka (1945), Chil Rajchman's
memoir, and Samuel Willenberg's Revolt in Treblinka and sculptures
depicting camp scenes. Willenberg, one of the last survivors, died in
2016.