I.G. Farben and the Buna-Monowitz concentration camp
Economy and politics under National Socialism
29.06.2024 - 29.09.2024 ,
Memorium Nuremberg Trials: Courtroom 600
From 1941, the chemical company I.G. Farben had a factory built in the immediate vicinity of the Auschwitz concentration camp for the production of Buna, a synthetic rubber that was important for the war economy. In addition to skilled German workers, the company deployed prisoners from the Auschwitz concentration camp, prisoners of war and forced labourers from all over Europe on the huge construction site. The managers of I.G. Farben worked closely with the SS. Together with the SS, they set up the company's own Buna-Monowitz concentration camp in 1942 to accommodate the ever-increasing number of concentration camp prisoners. Thousands of prisoners died as a result of the inhumane working conditions on the construction site or were murdered in the gas chambers in Auschwitz-Birkenau as soon as they were no longer able to work. People who were sent to Buna-Monowitz for forced labour only lived for around three months on average.
The exhibition traces the origins, everyday life and dissolution of the Buna-Monowitz concentration camp. Historical photographs taken on the occasion of a visit by Heinrich Himmler, Reichsführer SS, on 17 and 18 July 1942 document the perspective of the SS and I.G. Farben. They are contrasted with autobiographical texts by surviving prisoners, including Primo Levi, Jean Améry and Elie Wiesel, as well as statements by survivors in the post-war trials. Information on the court proceedings and the efforts of those affected to obtain compensation after 1945 complement the temporary exhibition.
Last edited on 19.11.2024
