Arbeit macht frei

"Arbeit macht frei" is an old German and Swiss-German peasant saying meaning "work liberates" or "work shall make you free". It is part of the concept of the Protestant work ethic.

The slogan was employed by the German Nazi party during the 1930s, at the time when they were instigating a massive national construction policy to counter unemployment.

As either a sign of contempt for Jewish culture or as an ironic joke or satire, or a way of instilling false hope, this slogan was placed at the entrances of a number of Nazi concentration camps (it is common practice in Germany to post inscriptions of this sort at the entrances to institutional properties or large estates). The slogan can still be seen at several sites, including those at Auschwitz I, Dachau, Gross-Rosen, Sachsenhausen, and the Terezin Ghetto-Camp (at Buchenwald, however, "Jedem das Seine" was used instead; English translations of this phrase vary, and include "To each his own" and "Everyone gets what they deserve").