The wooden bunks, or “hutches” as they are sometimes called, sometime contained as many as six prisoners on each shelf. During the war, these hutches were painted white, feigning a semblance of cleanliness. Originally intended to house 250 prisoners, these barracks sometimes contained as many as a thousand.

Photo: Alan Jacobs

Wooden barracks in Auschwitz II- Birkenau, BIIA. These barracks were actually prefabricated horse stables originally made for use on the eastern Front, against the Soviet Union. Even the rings for tying horses were in place along the sides. The wooden bunks, or “hutches” as they are sometimes called, contained as many as six prisoners on each shelf. Originally intended to house 250 prisoners, these barracks sometimes contained as many as a thousand.

Pen and Ink: Mieczyslaw Koscielniak
Reproduction courtesy of Auschwitz Museum Archive, 1980