Concrete Properties in Selected Auschwitz II-birkenau Former Death Camp Building

The article presents the results of research on some selected properties of concrete taken from the foundations, walls and ceilings of the infrastructure facilities in the Auschwitz II-Birkenau former death camp. The research was conducted as part of a broad program aimed at the diagnosis and documentation of the condition of the camp buildings, as material historical objects associated with martyrdom. Due to the nature of the buildings, a research program has been developed to minimize the effects of damage associated with sampling. The research was carried out on core samples taken from parts of the camp buildings' structures. Results and analysis made it possible to estimate compression strength and concrete degradation and to develop a method to strengthen the concrete. The resulting information on the strength properties were used for computational analyzes determining the level of safety of the facilities concerned.