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.
The camp was built around an old Austro-Hungarian (and later Polish) army barracks near the town of Oswiecim; its German name was Auschwitz. Hoess commanded the camp for three and a half years, during which he expanded the original facility into a sprawling complex known as Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.