Museum of the Former Death Camp of Sobibór

Constructed in the spring of 1942, it was designed solely for the mass murder of Jews. The camp was divided into three sections: administration, reception, and killing areas. The killing area housed gas chambers where victims were murdered using carbon monoxide gas.

From May 1942 to the fall of 1943, German SS and police officials deported Jews to Sobibor primarily from the ghettos of the Lublin District, as well as from German-occupied Soviet territory, Germany, Austria, Slovakia, Bohemia and Moravia, the Netherlands, and France. At least 167,000 people were killed at Sobibor, making it one of the most lethal extermination camps.

The staff at Sobibor included approximately 50 German and Austrian personnel, most of whom had previously served in the T4 “euthanasia” program. The camp’s first commandant was Austrian policeman Franz Stangl, with Franz Reichleitner succeeding him in August 1942.

The Sobibor Uprising on October 14, 1943, marked a significant act of resistance. Jewish prisoners, including Red Army POWs, planned and executed the revolt, killing 11 German personnel and a few Trawniki-trained guards. Approximately 300 prisoners succeeded in breaking out of the camp, though many were recaptured or killed in the aftermath. About 50 escapees survived the war.

After the uprising, the SS dismantled the killing center and shot the remaining Jewish prisoners. The area was plowed over and planted with a pine forest to conceal the evidence of mass murder.

Today, the Sobibor Memorial and Museum, established on the grounds of the former extermination camp, serves as a poignant reminder of the atrocities committed there. The memorial site includes a reconstructed section of the railway track and platform, symbolizing the final journey of the victims to Sobibor. A path leads visitors through the forest to the site of the former gas chambers, marked by a memorial stone. The museum houses exhibitions that detail the history of the camp, the lives of the victims, and the events of the uprising. It also features artifacts recovered from the site, personal testimonies, and historical documentation.