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"The Chronicle of Events at KL Auschwitz." A unique compendium documenting the crimes at Auschwitz day by day.

The complete, five-volume edition of the new "Chronicle of Events at KL Auschwitz" has been released in Polish (English translation is underway). On 2,216 pages, the functioning of the German Nazi concentration and extermination camp Auschwitz is detailed day by day.

This exceptional publication is the result of many years of thorough research and document analysis conducted by historians at the Museum's Research Center. The author of the first chronicle, which was fully published in 1992, was Danuta Czech. In the new edition—by including a broader context of the described events—the authors have shed light on many aspects of the camp's operation in a new way.

"The new edition of the chronicle, although based on the text of its last publication, is more than two and a half times larger in volume. Many entries have been supplemented, corrected, or thoroughly revised. This need arose primarily from the general progress in research on the history of KL Auschwitz and the use of archive collections previously inaccessible to researchers," said Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz, head of the Museum's Research Center.

In the preface to the publication, the director of the Auschwitz Museum, Dr. Piotr M. A. Cywiński, emphasized that "history is a description of a certain continuity of events, interconnected by causes and effects. Emerging from one another and leading to the next. Collective memory is always a polyphony, but for this polyphony to harmoniously interact, the work of historians is necessary, who create a factual axis on which a multitude of individual memories can be placed."

The expanded edition of the "Chronicle" included new documents, allowing for the addition of many entries and the presentation of logical connections between events. In particular, three key aspects were highlighted: the complex motives for the establishment of Auschwitz in the spring of 1940, which were often a reaction to changing SS directives; the impact of the IG Farbenindustrie conglomerate, which engaged the camp to support its rubber and fuel factory; and the gradual radicalization of Nazi Germany regarding the policy towards Jews, who were intended to be eliminated but also exploited as labor. The introduction of extended comments and new footnotes enables readers to better understand the context and connections between events, showing the impact of SS authorities' decisions on camp life.

"Among the entirely new information, particularly noteworthy are the numerical data on the daily number of prisoners of the camp and mortality rates, reports illustrating the progress of construction work—including the construction of crematoria and gas chambers, a new chronology for some deportations, especially those arriving in 1944 from Hungary and the Litzmannstadt ghetto, and transports of prisoners evacuated from Auschwitz to other concentration camps in Germany at that time," added Dr. Setkiewicz.

The authors made greater use of source documents regarding SS garrison members, illustrating not only their crimes but also their private lives, ways of spending free time, and rewards for service in line with superiors' expectations.

The new "Chronicle of Events at KL Auschwitz" spans 2,216 pages and consists of five volumes. The first volume covers events from 1939-1941, the second describes the year 1942, the third – 1943, the fourth is dedicated to 1944 and the first weeks of 1945. The fifth volume contains a list of abbreviations, SS ranks, a glossary, bibliography, personal index, and photographs of the former Auschwitz camp from 1945-1946. Each volume is enriched with illustrative material in the form of photographs and reproductions of plans, maps, and document scans.

As noted by Dr. Piotr Setkiewicz, the picture of Auschwitz that emerges after reading the chronicle is a reflection of the permanent chaos in managing the camp. However, despite this, the perpetrators achieved their goal—they created a system for the mass killing of people.

"This result was achieved by using modern, industrial methods that were carefully thought out, and when these proved to be not entirely satisfactory, also ad hoc and improvised. Many prisoners also died not only as a result of direct killings by the SS but also due to their reluctance to provide prisoners with the basic conditions for survival. This was therefore the result of deliberate actions with a foreseeable outcome. In the course of the research, no significant examples of actions by the camp commandant's officers aimed at keeping a larger number of prisoners alive than expected by the SS's supreme authorities in Berlin were found. This further indicates their personal responsibility," emphasized Piotr Setkiewicz.

As noted by Director Cywiński, the entire calendar is now available in Polish, and work is currently underway on an English translation. "The development of a new chronology of events at KL Auschwitz will also soon allow for the creation of a new monograph on the history of the camp," he said.

"The chronology of Events at KL Auschwitz" is available in the Museum's bookstores and online bookstore. Those who already have the first volume of the publication have the opportunity to purchase the four missing volumes. For this matter, please contact us by email.

The publication was issued with the support of the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.