From inside the camp we could see the house where Hoess lived with his wife and four little children. They could see into the camp from their house! He was hanged inside the camp, within view of his house, never having expressed regret for what he had done to other human beings. His only regret was that he didn't spend more time with his family.
A rabbi arrived at Birkenau, and inside the 25 kg suitcase he was allowed he had brought mainly religous items he considered precious. When the Nazis told him to leave his suitcase ("you can pick it up after your shower") he refused. He was shot on the spot. After the war the rabbi's son purchased a cattle car which had been used to transport prisoners, sealed up the suitcase with the precious items inside, and donated it to the museum at Auschwitz.
There was a room filled with hair from women who had been shaved upon arrival, which we were asked not to photograph. The Nazis had this hair woven, along with other fibers, into the crisp fabric of the officers uniforms. These uniforms were designed by Hugo Boss himself. We were able to see bolts of this fabric, which has been tested, and contains female human hair with traces of Zyklon B.
Many German prisoner camps were set up only temporarily. They went up while natural resources and building materials found nearby were exploited, then were abandoned. Throughout the war up to 1000 camps existed throughout Poland.