Manchester City Library

January 27 was chosen to be the International Day of Commemoration in memory of the victims of the Holocaust because the largest concentration camp, Auschwitz-Birkenau, was liberated on this date in 1945. Consisting of three camps, 1.1 million lives were taken in Auschwitz, mainly Jewish. This number is higher than any other killing center or concentration camp during WWII.

The best estimates of the number of victims at the Auschwitz camp complex, including the killing center at Auschwitz-Birkenau, between 1940 and 1945 are:

Jews (1,095,000 deported to Auschwitz, 960,000 died)

Non-Jewish Poles (140,000- 150,000 deported, 74,000 died)

Roma (Gypsies) (23,000 deported, 21,000 died)

Soviet prisoners of war (15,000 deported and died)

Other nationalities (25,000 deported, 10,000- 15,000 died)

The Nazi genocide of Jews and others they deemed ‘undesirable’ is something we cannot forget, especially in times of uncertainty and conflict. History so easily repeats itself, so it is important to learn from the past to fix those mistakes and prevent them from happening again. Learn more on the Holocaust Memorial Museum’s website here: https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/article/auschwitz

Stop by our historical fiction display and nonfiction display in the Reading Room to check out books on this subject.