BIa
(German: Bauabschnitt Ia – construction segment 1, sector a)
One of nine camps constructed by the Germans in Birkenau and one of the three women's camps. First women were incarcerated in the Auschwitz I camp in March 1942. In August, they were transferred to the BIa camp, located next to men's camp BIb. In July 1943, after the men were moved to camp BII d, women's camp was extended and it covered the entire first construction segment. In total, 60 barracks for prisoners, 10 barracks with washrooms and latrines, two kitchens, two bathhouses and two storehouses were constructed on the BI segment.
Women working in outside Kommandos occupied most of the barracks in BIb. BIa housed women employed inside the camp. Some of the blocks were designated as a hospital, where selections of sick prisoners were performed regularly. It was also the place where Dr. Horst Schumann conducted sterilization experiments. There were woeful hygienic-sanitation conditions in the camp because of overcrowding in the barracks and a severe water shortage, there was not enough food.
In August 1944, 23,000 women were imprisoned in the BI segment. Jews made up the largest contingent of prisoners. Other ethnicities were also present, mainly Poles, as well as Russians, Germans (mostly prisoner functionaries), Czechs, Yugoslavians and Frenchwomen. There were also Jewish, Polish, and Belarusian children in the camp.