Oświęcim, 8 August 1946. Regional Investigative Judge Jan Sehn, acting in accordance with the Decree of 10 November 1945 (Journal of Laws of the Republic of Poland No. 51, item 293) on the Main Commission and Regional Commissions for the Investigation of German Crimes in Poland, as a member of the Main Commission, pursuant to Article 255, in connection with Articles 107 and 115 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, interviewed the person specified below, who testified as follows:
| Name and surname | Eugeniusz Nosal |
| Date and place of birth | 19 August 1910, Nowy Sącz |
| Parents’ names | Karol and Agnieszka Żelazko |
| Religious affiliation | Roman Catholic |
| Citizenship and nationality | Polish |
| Place of residence | Oświęcim, Kolejowa Street 9, flat 11 |
I was in the Auschwitz camp from 14 June 1940 to 20 September 1944 as prisoner no. 693. Throughout my stay in the camp, I worked in the construction office (Baubüro). Initially, Schalchter was in charge of that office, and later on the management was taken over by Bischoff. It was an institution whose task was to plan the construction of all facilities in the camp and within the entire Interessengebiet [area of interest]. The general plan for the development of that area was prepared already in 1941; in the following years it was changed many times and in many details. The plan was to be implemented by 1945. According to official calculations, the camp in its final state was to accommodate 750,000 prisoners. The plans for the economic reorganization and reconstruction of the whole Interessengebiet were calculated for ten years. According to those plans, the Interessengebiet stretched from the island on the Soła River near Bielany to the point where the Soła River flows into the Vistula near Broszkowice. That area was supposed to become the supply base for the camp, which would provide it with necessary products and workplaces for its prisoners. For this purpose, there was a plan to build more factories where prisoners would be employed. The initiative to build individual facilities came from the camp commandant’s office, which placed orders for new buildings in the construction office via the Verwaltung [administration]. The construction office handed over constructed buildings to the camp administration. On the basis of a relevant protocol, Höß held frequent conversations with the head of the construction management, Bischoff. He also participated in conferences held by the Bauleitung [construction authority] during visits by the head of the Economic and Administrative Office, Pohl, or the head of the Office Group C, Kammler.
In autumn 1941, a decision was made to build a special camp for prisoners of war near the Auschwitz camp, which would be administratively connected to the Auschwitz camp. Initially, that camp was to be built in Rajsko, next to the railway track to Brzeszcze. Höß did not give permission for the project, so the camp was built in Birkenau. Höß gave a clear order to build the camp on the worst, most marshy land, so when the construction works started, we had to build special scaffoldings to set measuring devices. For the purpose of the construction of the camp, a special branch, called Sonderbauleitung, was established within the construction office. Initially, it was calculated that the new camp would accommodate 200,000 prisoners. Since a special camp for Buna in Monowitz had been built, plans for the construction of a section for 60,000 prisoners were abandoned. We first built the part that would later become the women’s camp. In that section, we built barracks using bricks from houses that had been demolished near the area intended for the construction of the camp. The second section was built using stable-like barracks (Pferdestallbaracke Type 260/9). The third section was constructed only partially and it was demolished at the end of 1944. Some of the barracks were sent to Groß-Rosen, and the rest to Kochłowice, near Katowice.
The plans for the construction of facilities such as the bunkers in block 11 and crematoria were confidential. Prisoners employed in the construction office basically did not have access to them. In some cases, the plans for the construction of such facilities were given a false name. For example, both cottages near Birkenau, which were converted into gas chambers, were described in the plans as grass drying plants (Grastrocknerei). All plans prepared at the construction office were sent via the camp headquarters to Office Group C, which approved them and granted loans for the construction.
Crematorium I was opened in November 1940. It operated until the spring of 1945, that is, until the crematoria in Birkenau were opened. Furnaces in all the crematoria were made based on the design of a company called [J.A.] Topf & Söhne in Erfurt. Höß personally supervised the construction and expansion of the Birkenau camp; he was interested in and oversaw the construction of the new crematoria, and also inspected the crematoria after they were opened. Very often, he was present in Birkenau at the arrival of transports, which from the ramp went straight to the gas chambers.
The report was read out. At this point, the hearing and the present report were concluded.