Q&A

Why is the B in the Auschwitz sign upside down?

Why is the B in the Auschwitz sign upside down?

When the SS ordered them to make this sign, the prisoners placed their hidden message in the word “ARBEIT”: they turned the letter “B” upside down. They were enraged by the endless fear, the everyday humiliations, the beatings, the hatred and the murder that they were forced to witness.

What does the sign mean above Auschwitz?

The “Arbeit Macht Frei” sign, which means “Work Sets You Free” in German and is synonymous with the Nazi camps of World War II, was stolen late last week from Auschwitz in Poland, police said Friday.

What does the upside down B mean?

The Auschwitz sign with its inverted “B” For people the world over, few relics have come to symbolise the Nazi Holocaust more than the infamous wrought-iron sign straddling the entrance to the Auschwitz death camp, bearing the cynical words Arbeit Macht Frei.

What does Arbeit Macht Frei mean on the gate of Auschwitz?

Work Makes You Free
The phrase “Arbeit Macht Frei” (“Work Makes You Free”) is displayed at the entrances of several former concentration camps throughout post-Holocaust Europe.

What language did they speak in Auschwitz?

German language
One part of the Nazi camp slang was German language terminology for people, things and events in the camps, where many ordinary German words acquired specific meanings and associations.

What was Block 11 in Auschwitz?

Block 11 was called by prisoners “the Block of Death”. In the cellars there was the camp detention house and on the closed yard shoting executions were conducted.

How long is the tour of Auschwitz?

three and a half hours
The general tour lasts for three and a half hours as you explore the permanent exhibitions and main camp buildings along with the prisoner barracks, ruined gas chambers and crematoria at Auschwitz II-Birkenau. To travel between the two camps, there’s a free shuttle bus.