03/11/2026
On **10 May 1942**, construction around **Auschwitz III–Monowitz** intensified as the German chemical corporation **IG Farben** expanded its industrial facilities during **World War II**. The project focused on building a large factory complex designed to produce **Buna synthetic rubber** and other materials needed for the **N**i Germany** war economy.
Thousands of prisoners from the **Auschwitz concentration camp complex** were forced to construct the industrial site. They worked extremely long hours performing physically exhausting tasks. Prisoners cleared forests and land, dug deep foundations for factory buildings, and transported heavy materials such as bricks, steel beams, and machinery. Over time, the area turned into a vast construction zone filled with cranes, rail lines, pipelines, and partially completed factory halls.
Living conditions in the camp were extremely harsh. Prisoners were crowded into poorly built barracks with little space, poor sanitation, and minimal protection from the weather. Armed guards watched them constantly from fences and watchtowers surrounding the camp, enforcing strict discipline and harsh punishments.
Food rations were very small, often consisting of thin soup and a small portion of bread. Because of constant hunger, heavy labor, and poor living conditions, many prisoners suffered from exhaustion, illness, and severe malnutrition. For many workers, daily life at Monowitz became a struggle simply to survive another day within this brutal forced-labor system.