On a road trip one summer in Poland with a good friend, we visited both Stutthof and Majdanek death camps. Both still have a lot of remains there from the actual camp buildings, housing and chambers and even left over belongings of prisoners. Again, crazy slice from history left as is, and made into incredible, sombre museums.
Majdanek, located on the outskirts of Lublin in eastern Poland, is one of the most chilling Holocaust sites still standing today. Unlike other camps that were largely destroyed by the Nazis in an attempt to hide their crimes, Majdanek was liberated almost intact by the Soviet Army in July 1944. Because of this, visitors today can see original barracks, guard towers, crematoria, and even personal belongings left behind by victims, making Majdanek one of the most hauntingly preserved reminders of Nazi atrocities.
History and Purpose
Majdanek was established in late 1941 as a prisoner-of-war camp, but soon it evolved into a concentration and extermination camp under Operation Reinhard, the Nazi plan to annihilate the Jews of occupied Poland. Over time, Majdanek became a multipurpose camp, housing political prisoners, Jews, Poles, and Soviet POWs.
It is estimated that around 150,000 people passed through Majdanek, of whom approximately 78,000 were murdered—59,000 of them Jews. Victims died through mass executions, disease, starvation, and gassing in chambers fueled by Zyklon B and carbon monoxide. In November 1943, the camp was the site of “Operation Harvest Festival” (Aktion Erntefest), the largest single-day massacre of Jews during the Holocaust, when over 18,000 prisoners were shot in trenches in a single day.
Preservation and Memory
Because the camp was not demolished before liberation, Majdanek offers one of the most authentic Holocaust sites in existence. Visitors can walk through wooden barracks once crammed with prisoners, see the gas chambers, and visit the crematoria. Perhaps the most shocking site is the mausoleum at the end of the camp, which contains a mound of human ashes collected after liberation, a stark testament to the industrial scale of murder.
Location and Visiting Today
Majdanek lies just 3 kilometers from the center of Lublin, making it one of the easiest Nazi camps to visit. The museum and memorial complex is free of charge and includes exhibitions of personal items, shoes, photographs, and testimonies. The site’s authenticity can be overwhelming, but it is one of the most important places of Holocaust remembrance in Europe.
Majdanek’s preservation means it speaks directly to visitors: the barbed wire, rows of watchtowers, and the ashes left behind demand reflection and remembrance. It is both a graveyard and a historical archive, ensuring that the victims’ suffering will never be forgotten.
Stutthof Death Camp: The First and the Last
Stutthof, located near the Baltic coast east of Gdańsk (formerly Danzig), was the first concentration camp established by the Nazis outside German borders and one of the last to be liberated. Its history reflects both the early expansion of Nazi persecution and the persistence of brutality until the very end of the war.
Origins and Expansion
Stutthof was opened on September 2, 1939, just one day after the German invasion of Poland. Initially, it was a small camp for Polish political prisoners, intellectuals, and resistance members. Over time, it expanded into a large concentration and extermination camp, complete with gas chambers and crematoria. Prisoners came from across Europe, including Jews deported from the Baltic states, Hungary, and other Nazi-occupied regions.
By 1942, Stutthof had become part of the wider network of Nazi camps and included dozens of subcamps. Prisoners were forced into slave labor for German industries, shipyards, and agriculture. Conditions were appalling: overcrowding, starvation, disease, and brutal punishments caused high death rates even outside of the organized mass killings.
Extermination and Suffering
Stutthof operated both as a concentration and extermination camp. In 1944, gas chambers were added to increase the killing capacity, and Zyklon B was introduced. It is estimated that around 110,000 people were imprisoned in Stutthof during the war, and about 65,000 perished there. Victims included Jews, Poles, Soviet POWs, and people from over 25 countries.
As the Red Army advanced in 1945, the Nazis evacuated the camp in brutal “death marches.” Thousands died along the way due to exposure, exhaustion, and executions. Stutthof was finally liberated by Soviet forces on May 9, 1945, making it one of the last camps to be freed.
Location and Visiting Today
The Stutthof Museum and Memorial now occupies the site, about 34 kilometers east of Gdańsk. Visitors can tour the preserved wooden barracks, guard towers, crematoria, and reconstructed gas chamber. Exhibits display personal belongings, documents, and photographs that illustrate the lives of prisoners. A striking monument commemorates the victims, standing as a reminder of the atrocities committed.
Stutthof is unique because of its timeline: it was both the first camp established in occupied Poland and one of the last to close. Its story demonstrates the continuity of Nazi persecution, from the earliest days of the war to its bitter end.
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