On this day in 1947, Rudolf Höss, the former commandant of Auschwitz, was executed for his role in overseeing one of the deadliest killing centers of the Nazi regime.
Under his administration, more than one million people—most of them Jews—were murdered at Auschwitz during the Holocaust. After the war, Höss was captured, investigated, tried, and convicted for crimes against humanity.
On April 16, 1947, he was hanged near the former crematorium at Auschwitz, a place forever associated with the atrocities committed under his command.
His execution became a symbol of postwar justice and accountability. The history of Auschwitz serves as a reminder of the dangers of hatred, dehumanization, and indifference, and of the importance of preserving the memory of the victims.