Auschwitz is in southern Poland, near the town of Oświęcim, about 60–65 km (around 37–40 miles) west of Kraków.

More precisely, the former Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration and extermination camp complex was built on the outskirts of Oświęcim and the nearby village of Brzezinka (German: Birkenau), in today’s Lesser Poland region. The site now functions as the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, preserving remains of Auschwitz I (the main camp) and Auschwitz II-Birkenau (the largest extermination site).