Auschwitz webcam. Market Square
Auschwitz is a town in the Małopolska voivodeship of southern Poland, located 50 km west of Krakow, near the confluence of the Vistula and Sola rivers. The city is widely known for being the site of the Auschwitz concentration camp (the camp is also known as KL or KZ Auschwitz Birkenau) during World War II, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany.
The name of the town comes from the owner of a Slavic gorge that existed there in the Middle Ages. It was variously spelled and over time was known in various languages, including Polish, Czech, German, and Latin.
The city has been an important center of trade since the late Middle Ages. German-speaking merchants of the fourteenth century called it Auswinz; by the 15th century, the name became Auschwitz. From 1772-1918. Auschwitz belonged to the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (a semi-autonomous protectorate of the Austrian Empire), and both Polish and German names were in official use.
The city was annexed to the Third Reich during World War II, and so the name Auschwitz was used. It became known as Auschwitz after January 27, 1945, when the Wehrmacht was forced out by the Red Army.
