Footsteps of WWII · Poland
Sobibór Museum and memorial
Camp memorial · May 1942 – Oct 1943; revolt 14 Oct 1943
The story
Sobibór was the second Operation Reinhard death camp, built in forest beside the Chełm–Włodawa railway close to the Bug river. From May 1942 transports brought Jews from the Lublin district and from the Netherlands, Slovakia, Germany and elsewhere; most were gassed within hours. On 14 October 1943 prisoners led by Leon Feldhendler's escape committee and the Soviet-Jewish officer Alexander Pechersky killed several SS men with axes and knives and broke out. About 300 escaped, and roughly 60 survived the war. The Germans closed the camp soon after and planted trees over it.
What to look for
A modern museum building and memorial landscape in the pine forest. Follow the route of the path the victims were driven along to the gas chambers, whose foundations archaeologists uncovered, and the large area over the mass graves. The old railway station stands nearby.
Plan your visit
Free admission. Closed Mondays, and on 1 and 6 January, Easter, Corpus Christi, 11 November and 24–31 December. Mostly outdoors; no cloakroom or lockers; free parking. Check opening hours on the website before you go.
Things change, so check opening times before you travel.
Nearby sites
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Footsteps of WWII: Europe 1939–1945
A free field guide for your phone: the route, the maps and the stories built in, even with no signal. The whole Second World War in Europe, from the first shots at Westerplatte on 1 September 1939 to the German surrender in May 1945: Dunkirk, the Battle of Britain, Normandy, Arnhem, Bastogne, Stalingrad, Berlin and the camps, in 15 areas from Britain to Russia.
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