Bełżec, Sobibór, Trawniki

What to expect from Bełżec, Sobibór, Trawniki

The region of Lublin was used by the Germans to mass murder hundreds of thousands of Jews. The sites of Bełżec and Sobibór death camps are open to visitors, but the infrastructure is destroyed. Both sites offer high end exhibitions. Less know is Trawniki concentration camp, this is the site were the Nazis trained their auxiliary forces. Foreign staff, heavily involved in the brutalities against the Jews and other victims of the Holocaust.

Brama Krakowska in Lublin

We provide excursions to all sites, as we are convinced that this tragic part of our history must never be forgotten.

Programme

Bełżec Death Camp
Bełżec was a Nazi German death camp built by the SS for the purpose of murdering the Jewish population of the Krakow and Galicia districts of German occupied Poland as part of Operation Reinhard. The camp operated from 17th March 1942 to the end of June 1943. Approximately 600,000 Jews are believed to have been murdered by the SS at Bełżec. It was the third deadliest extermination camp, exceeded only by Treblinka and Auschwitz. The site of the former Bełżec death camp is very small. Booking a tour with us will give you an understanding of how the Nazis killed at an industrial scale more than half a million people.

Sobibór Death Camp
Sobibór was a Nazi death camp where between 180,000 and 250,000 innocent Jews were murdered between May 1942 and 14th October 1943, a time frame of 1.5 years. This camp is hidden in the woods, roughly 100km east of Lublin and only a few kilometres from the borders with Ukraine and Belarus. Movies have been made about the successful uprising by prisoners in October 1943, when 300 prisoners escaped the camp after killing most of the SS officers on site. Unfortunately, this event was one of the triggers of Operation Harvest Festival. On 3-4 November 1943, all the remaining Jews in the Lublin district, approximately 42,000 people, were killed. It was the largest Nazi-perpetrated massacre of the Holocaust.

Availability

Please make a reservation at least 24 hours in advance.

Duration

Language

English, Dutch

Meeting Point

We'll pick you up at your hotel.

Bełżec, Sobibór, Trawniki: How it works

Private tours at Bełżec and Sobibór
A tour of the grounds of Bełżec or Sobibór takes around 2 hours. Our aim is to explain to you the history of the death camps by walking around the former site of the camps. We will provide you time to visit the exhibition. The permanent exhibition in the museum building of both camps is accessible every day except Mondays. For this reason we kindly advise not to book a tour on a Monday.
Izbica, Krępiec Forest, and Zamość
To get an indepth understanding of the brutalities of the Holocaust, and crimes against the ethnic Polish population, we kindly suggest you combine a visit to the death camps with visits to other WW2 related sites in the region.

For example, visit Izbica, a typical shtetl (a small town with a large Ashkenazi Jewish population before the Holocaust). Krępiec Forest is the site of mass executions and the open air burning of Majdanek victims. Another site worth visiting is the Zamość Rotunda. It is a Mausoleum of Martyrdom of the Zamość Region. The site was used by the Nazis as a Gestapo prison and site of mass executions.
If you have an interest in the history of WW2 and/or the Holocaust, then these tours are a must for you!

Bełżec, Sobibór, Trawniki: Good to know

We can provide high-end transportation by mini-van or coach to both sites. Please, contact us to discuss the available options.

Reservations

Please contact us at least 24 hours in advance to book a tailor-made experience. We will provide you with a quote based on your preferences after our first contact.

Lublin Old Town Square

Disclaimer

Participating in Martin’s City Tours is on a voluntary basis. We are not responsible or will not be held responsible in any way for damage to property or injuries to the body incurred during our tours, activities, or events. Our staff reserve the right to deny participation in any tour to any person for any reason. We appreciate your understanding.

Get in Touch

We would love to here from you, so if you have any questions regarding the tours, please drop us a message using the form and Martin, or one of his team will be in touch with you. Thank you!