Brzezinka

Brzezinka is a village in Poland, located in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship (Małopolskie województwo), within the Oświęcim County (powiat oświęcimski), in the Gmina Oświęcim.

Historically and most notably, Brzezinka is adjacent to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp during World War II. Birkenau, the name often used synonymously with Auschwitz II, is the Germanized version of Brzezinka. The camp was constructed on land that originally belonged to residents of Brzezinka and surrounding villages, who were forcibly evicted. The Polish name "Brzezinka" translates roughly to "birch tree place" or "place with birch trees."