Definition of condemn for English Language Learners. : 1  to say in a strong and definite way that someone or something is bad or wrong. : 2  to give (someone) a usually severe punishment. : 3  to cause (someone) to suffer or live in difficult or unpleasant conditions.
The first concentration established in Nazi Germany was at Dachau. As the name of the camps suggest, these camps incarcerated a large number of people into a relatively small area â i.e. concentrated their numbers into a small space.
Some new camps were built at existing concentration camp complexes (such as Auschwitz) in occupied Poland. The camp at Lublin, later known as Majdanek, was established in the autumn of 1941 as a POW camp and became a concentration camp in 1943.