Discover History

The Bełżec death camp was one of the three main centres for the mass extermination of Jewish people established as part of ‘Aktion Reinhardt.’ It operated from March to December 1942. During this time, at least 434,508 people were murdered—mainly Jews from Poland, but also from Germany, Austria, Czechia, and Slovakia.

Camp History

Nearly 435,000 deportees perished in SS-Sonderkommando Belzec. Most of them were
Polish Jews from the Lublin, Galicia, and Kraków districts of the General Government. Among the victims there were also up to 30,000 Jews from outside its borders: mostly Slovak, Czech, German, and Austrian Jews, who were first displaced to the so-called transit ghettos like Izbica and Piaski. The overwhelming majority of those people remain anonymous.

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Black-and-white photograph. A cobblestone path with rising walls on both sides and iron wires. Trees are visible in the background

Timeline

Preparations for the construction of the Bełżec extermination camp began in the autumn of 1941...

“Varia” Magazine

Dive into our free on-line magazine to discover stories that go beyond our academic writings, analyses of post-camp artefacts, and reports of our central activities.

Warte uwagi

Learn more about the history of the camps, personal stories of the victims and prisoners, and museum collections

"Aktion Reinhardt”

Black-and-white photograph showing the front façade of a barracks building marked “Julius Schreck-Kaserne.” Nazi flags, a guard at the entrance, and pedestrians on the street are visible in front of the building.

Extermination of Jews in the General Government

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