MAJDANEK By: Elyssa Stanton

Majdanek Extermination Camp  Initially called the concentration camp at Lublin  In operation from October 1, 1941 to July 23, 1944 when it was liberated by Soviet Union soldiers  First operated with the arrival of about 2,000 Russian prisoners of war  It wasn’t until April 1942 till the mass transports of Jews began arriving.

The Camp Location  Unlike most death camps, Majdanek was situated in an urban area, about 4 kilometers from the city center of Lublin. It can easily be reached by trolley car. The location of the camp could be seen from all sides, making it very public and very accessible.

Arriving at The Camp  Unlike arrival at Belzec, Chelmo, Treblinka, or Sobibor, where the Jews would be killed right away; At Majdanek and Auschwitz there was a need for workers.  About 25% of men and 15% of women were chosen to work, the rest suffered immediate death.

The Gas Chambers  First, the males and females were separated, and told to take their clothes off, then their possessions' were taken and the women were taken to a building where they had their head shaved.  While this was happening the men were being taken down to “take showers”, where they were gassed and killed, and the women were next.  Majdanek has three gas chambers, one utilized carbon monoxide and the other two required the use of dropping zyklon B crystals through vents in the roof.

After Death  The bodies were removed and hosed down by teams of Sonderkommando, which were Jewish prisoners.  Next the bodies were examined for any valuables, such as gold teeth, and then sent to ovens in the crematorium where they were burnt.

Other Ways of Death  The Jews that were spared, were sent to a room where they were tattooed with identification numbers.  but most died anyway from exhaustion, starvation, exposure, and disease.  On Nov 3, 1943 the SS was dispatched to Lublin to perform operation Harvest Festival where they shot 18,000 Jews, 8,000 Majdanek prisoners, and 11,000 other forced laborers. This massacre was the largest single-day, single-location killing during the holocaust.

Liberation  Happened in July of 1944  Soviet troops captured Lublin and liberated Majdanek on July 24  The camp was captured virtually in tack  Majdanek was the first major camp to be liberated

Bibliography  "Auschwitz, Majdanek, Warsaw Ghetto, Plaszow, Treblinka, Kazimierz." Scrapbookpages.com - a Web Site for Tourists and Armchair Travelers Web. 07 Feb  Downing, David. The Nazi Death Camps. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library, Print.  Downing, David. The Nazi Death Camps. Milwaukee, WI: World Almanac Library, Print.  Saldinger, Anne Grenn. Life in a Nazi Concentration Camp. San Diego, CA: Lucent, Print.  Scrapbookpages Blog Web. 07 Feb

The End By: Elyssa Stanton