The construction of the Treblinka camp was begun by the German occupiers in 1942. The extermination center was established as part of Operation Reinhardt, which concerned the extermination of the Jewish population. Polish Jews, as well as Austrian, Czech and Slovak Jews, were deported to Treblinka, as well as Poles, Roma and Sinti. It was the second largest extermination center in occupied Europe after Auschwitz-Birkenau.
Many years after these tragic events, evidence of the unimaginable acts committed by the occupiers in this place is still being found on the grounds of the former camp. A team of scientists from the Warsaw University of Technology has reported what they have managed to establish during their current research. As the experts emphasized, “the research conducted was different from any archaeological research conducted in Poland or abroad”, and that in the case of these studies it is referred to as “a unique material on a global scale”.
The aim of the scientists in the current work is confirmation of the existence of so-called new gas chambers and grills in the selected area — the most important places related to the topography of the camp and the process of extermination of the population. According to the Treblinka Museum, the deportees were killed here with exhaust gases in gas chambers built for this purpose, and in order to erase the traces of the criminal procedure, the bodies were burned on specially constructed grates. It is estimated that over 800,000 people were killed here.
In order to find the so-called new chambers, a specific point on the map of the former camp was selected. The location was chosen based on earlier research using a georadar, magnetometer and conductometer. The identified geophysical anomalies allowed for the delineation of the area where the mentioned objects could be located.
This year’s analysis of the area and the search for traces from World War II is another stage of work that has been ongoing in this area for many years. For the current research, the area in question was marked out with centimeter precision in the area between the monument to the victims of the Treblinka extermination camp and the so-called gridirona place of commemoration of the cremated bodies.
– According to initial findings, we managed to locate new gas chambers on the premises of the Treblinka II extermination camp. Our findings are confirmed not only by the survey results, but also by their correlation with the accounts of witnesses and camp prisoners who managed to escape from it. during the uprising that broke out on August 2, 1943 — said in a statement Dr. Sebastian Różycki, head of the research team from WUT.
Research using geophysical methods helped to establish that the foundations of the so-called new gas chambers were located at a small depth. The entire process of long-term research is associated with detailed mapping of the camp, because After the prisoners’ uprising that broke out in 1943, the Germans began to liquidate the establishmentdestroying all buildings. A farm was established at the site of the extermination center.
– The research will continue. It will include the analysis of artifacts that we managed to obtain during the surveys. We can say that the research on the former extermination camps has been definitively completed by our team. The discovery made by the Warsaw University of Technology team is the last stage of the search for the most important objects related to the extermination centers in Bełżec, Sobibór and Treblinka — explained Dr. Sebastian Różycki, head of the research team from WUT, in a press release.
According to information provided by the Treblinka Museum, “the camp staff consisted of 30-40 Germans and Austrianswho managed the centre, and also from the guard team, about 100-120 people, who were mainly of Ukrainian origin”. Medical doctor Irmfried Eberl was appointed as the camp commandant, after him Franz Stangl took over this function, and Kurt Franz was the deputy commandant.
As for the procedure related to the treatment of people deported to the camp and the way of depriving them of life – It was developed by Christian Wirth, inspector of the camps in Treblinka, Bełżec and Sobibór“The deportees were kept in suspense until the last moment, and obedience was forced through surprise, speed of action and brutality,” explains the Treblinka Museum.
– The biggest challenge during the work was to be aware of where we were working.. The aim was to locate new gas chambers, which were built to replace old chambers, which did not fulfill their role in the process of extermination of the Jewish population. Another very important aspect was the observance of aspects of halakhic law. During our work we were supported by a representative of the Rabbinical Commission for Cemeteries. This meant that the research conducted differed from any archaeological research conducted in Poland or abroad. The method of conducting field research itself was established in advance, and as part of the project, guidelines and instructions were created for the first time in the history of work conducted in such places. This material is unique in the world — emphasizes Dr. Sebastian Różycki
In addition to searching for the above-mentioned objects, the researchers’ tasks also include: works in the area of the so-called Black Road, which connects the Treblinka II extermination camp and the Treblinka I Penal Labor Camp. The Warsaw University of Technology statement said that “in June this year, by decision of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage, the road was closed to vehicular traffic due to the fact that the Germans used elements of matzevot, Jewish tombstones, to build it.”
Exact results of work research conducted by scientists from Warsaw University of Technology will be presented in September this year during a seminar that will be held as part of the Science Festival. The event will take place at the Warsaw University of Technology.
Source: geekweek.interia.pl
