Design and Location:
The crematoria were typically located within or near concentration and extermination camps. These structures were designed to handle a high volume of bodies and efficiently dispose of them.
Cremation Process:
Victims who were selected for extermination would be transported to the crematoria. Upon arrival, they would be stripped of their clothes and belongings. Sometimes they would be forced to shower to simulate a sense of normalcy before meeting their fate. The victims were then herded into gas chambers disguised as showers.
Gas Chambers:
The gas chambers were sealed and Zyklon B, a lethal cyanide-based pesticide was released through vents or openings in the ceiling or walls. The gas would quickly spread, causing the victims to suffocate to death within minutes.
Disposal of the Bodies:
After the victims were killed, Sonderkommandos, mostly Jewish prisoners selected by the Nazis to assist in the extermination process, would remove the bodies from the gas chambers and place them in ovens. The ovens were operated continuously to ensure that the disposal of bodies was constant and efficient.
Disposal of Ashes:
The bodies were burned at extremely high temperatures, reducing them to ashes. These ashes were often dumped into pits, scattered over fields, or used as fertilizer. In some camps, the ashes were mixed with cement to construct roads and buildings.
The crematoria were central to the industrial scale genocide carried out by the Nazi regime during the Holocaust. They symbolized the systematic and inhumane extermination of millions of people, including Jews, Romani people, disabled individuals and other marginalized groups.