Content #053

Hotel Kamieniec, Oświęcim. Auschwitz, Polen. 1996
‘Oświęcim (Polish pronunciation: [ɔɕˈfjɛɲtɕim] (About this soundlisten); German: Auschwitz [ˈaʊʃvɪts]; Yiddish: אָשפּיצין‎, romanized: Oshpitzin) is a town in the Lesser Poland (Polish: Małopolska) province of southern Poland, situated 50 kilometres (31 mi) west of Kraków, near the confluence of the Vistula (Wisła) and Soła rivers. The town’s name is of Slavic extraction, likely derived from the owner of a Slavic gord which existed there in the Middle Ages. It has been spelled many different ways and known by many different languages over time, including Polish, Czech, German, and Latin. The town was an important center of commerce from the late Middle Ages onward. Fourteenth century German-speaking merchants called it Auswintz; by the 15th century, this name had become Auschwitz. From 1772 to 1918, Oświęcim belonged to the Kingdom of Galicia and Lodomeria (a semi-autonomous protectorate of the Austrian Empire), and both Polish and German names were in official use. The town was annexed into the Third Reich during World War II and the name Auschwitz was used. It became known as Oświęcim after 27 January 1945, when the Wehrmacht was pushed out by the Red Army.’ Bron: Wikipedia.