When millions of human beings were killed in the National Socialist concentration and extermination camps, their murderers were faced with technical problems. The killing and the disposal of the corpses was to be carried out continuously, smoothly and inexpensively, in a manner which economized on fuel and left as little evidence behind as possible. In order to contrive such a system, the SS had to rely on civilian experts who had no scruples about thinking their way into the practical problems of extermination and developing appropriate solutions. The Erfurt company Topf & Sons played a decisive role in this process.

The history of this perfectly normal company - a history beginning in nineteenth-century Erfurt and leading to the crematoria of Auschwitz - is the subject of the exhibition and the accompanying book.