Oświęcim

One of Upper Silesia's oldest towns, Oświęcim (osh-fyen-cheem) is today a quiet, medium-sized industrial city on the border with Małopolska. The Polish place name may be unfamiliar to most foreigners, but the German equivalent, Auschwitz, is not. The name is immediately synonymous with the largest attempt at genocide in human history. Though visiting the eerily preserved camps is a disturbing experience, it’s an essential element in understanding the full evil of the Holocaust.