us-005578-irn719298-irn550876
type: RecordSet
archival history: The bunk bed was donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2014 by Państwowe Muzeum w Oświęcimiu.
physical characteristics and technical requirements: a-e, k-o, u-ad, aj-cc: Rectangular, wooden bed slat with a slightly warped, uneven surface. One side is brown, while the opposite side is gray. The brown surface is rough and splintery, while the gray surface is smooth. Several knots; small, circular nail holes, and a few nails are in the wood. f-j, p-t, ae-ai: Long, rectangular, wooden board with a slightly warped, uneven surface. One side is brown, while the opposite side is gray. The brown surface is rough and splintery, while the gray surface is smooth. The surface of some pieces have been stained. The wood has several knots, small circular nail holes, and a few nails protruding out. cd: Narrow, rectangular, wooden strip with a broken end, and two dowel holes in the center. The surface is brown and smooth with several small cracks. The underside is split off, revealing the pale tan interior of the wood and has a black rectangular stain in the center. ce: Narrow, rectangular, wooden strip with two dowel holes in the interior. The strip is wider on one end and tapers to half the width on the opposite end. The dowel hole in the narrower end is severed at the edge and the hole forms a U-shape. The top side has two rows of small, shallow, angular cuts in the surface. The wood has several small cracks in the surface. There is a white residue on the top surface and on one edge. cf-ch, db: Small, wooden, broken off sliver with a smooth, brown outer surface and tan-colored interior exposed as a splintered outer surface. ci, ck, cn-cp: Small broken piece of a brown, wooden dowel with a smooth surface. One end is flat with an edge that flares out slightly, while the other end is raggedly broken and splintered. The sides are flat but slightly curved with rounded edges, giving the dowel an almost cylindrical shape. cj, cl, cm: Small, short, tan-colored, wooden dowel pin with a smooth surface. One end tapers down on 4 sides to reach a rounded point, the other end is flat with some small chips missing from the interior. The si…
conditions of access: No restrictions on access
conditions of use: No restrictions on use
date: 1940 April-1945 January 27
has or had holder: us-005578
has or had identifier: 1
has or had subject: 0
has or had subject: 2
has record set type: Item
identifier: irn550876
is or was included in: us-005578-irn719298
record resource extent: a: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 5.125 inches (13.017 cm) | Depth: 71.625 inches (181.927 cm) b: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 71.625 inches (181.927 cm) c: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 71.750 inches (182.245 cm) d: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 71.750 inches (182.245 cm) e: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 71.625 inches (181.927 cm) f: Height: 0.875 inches (2.223 cm) | Width: 5.875 inches (14.923 cm) | Depth: 110.750 inches (281.305 cm) g: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.875 inches (12.383 cm) | Depth: 107.625 inches (273.367 cm) h: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm) | Depth: 107.500 inches (273.05 cm) i: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm) | Depth: 107.500 inches (273.05 cm) j: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 107.500 inches (273.05 cm) k: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 71.500 inches (181.61 cm) l: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 71.625 inches (181.927 cm) m: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 71.500 inches (181.61 cm) n: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 71.625 inches (181.927 cm) o: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.500 inches (11.43 cm) | Depth: 71.750 inches (182.245 cm) p: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.625 inches (11.747 cm) | Depth: 107.500 inches (273.05 cm) q: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 107.500 inches (273.05 cm) r: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 107.375 inches (272.732 cm) s: Height: 0.750 inches (1.905 cm) | Width: 4.750 inches (12.065 cm) | Depth: 107.750 inches (273.685 cm) t: Hei…
results or resulted from: 1
scope and content: Disassembled prisoner bunk bed from Auschwitz concentration camp. Auschwitz was established in the spring of 1940, in an abandoned Polish army barracks near Oswiecim, Poland. During its use, the camp complex was continuously expanded, becoming the largest and most lethal that the Germans built. Once prisoners arrived at the camp, the men and women were separated and went through selection. Those who were not selected for immediate execution were forced to work. Prisoners lived in either brick or wooden barracks, and slept on wooden bunk beds which were sometimes layered with straw bedding. The bunks were theoretically designed to hold three people, but in reality at times slept up to 18. The straw bedding was often fouled by sick prisoners, and the barracks lacked sanitation and were swarmed with rats and other vermin which festered disease. The barracks were leaky and not insulated. They were heated by two small stoves, but they were not sufficient to heat the entire space. Prisoners spent over ten hours per day working, driven on by guards and Kapos who beat anyone who faltered. The majority of prisoners selected for work died from overwork, mistreatment, disease or hunger. The prisoners initially worked to expand the camp, but over time the work expanded to include armaments manufacture, clerical jobs, trades and crafts, and labor on roads, farms, factories, mines, and chemical plants. In January 1945, the camp system was evacuated ahead of approaching Soviet forces. The Soviet army liberated 6,000 sick and dying prisoners on January 27, 1945.
title: Disassembled bunk bed from Auschwitz concentration camp