Sobibór extermination camp, operational from 1942, was located in eastern Poland and was one of the many camps established as part of the Nazi regime's systematic annihilation of the Jewish people during World War II. The camp was specifically designed for mass murder, using gas chambers disguised as showers to exterminate prisoners quickly upon arrival. Over the course of its operation, Sobibór was responsible for the deaths of approximately 250,000 individuals, primarily Jews from various parts of Europe. In October 1943, the camp was officially closed, marking a significant shift in the Nazi operational strategy towards the extermination process. The decision to close Sobibór was influenced by a failed prisoner revolt earlier that year, which resulted in heightened scrutiny and concern from the German leadership about the security and efficacy of such camps amid increasing partisan activities and resistance movements in occupied Poland.

The closure of Sobibór did not end the atrocities committed against Jews; rather, it was indicative of the Nazi regime's shifting tactics and their efforts to conceal their crimes. Following its closure, the camp's infrastructure was dismantled in an attempt to erase the evidence of the mass murders that had taken place. This modus operandi of destruction was consistent across other extermination camps and reflected the regime's deepening desperation and fear of accountability as the tide of the war began to turn against them. Despite its closure, the legacy of Sobibór remains a haunting reminder of the horrors of the Holocaust, as survivors continued to bear witness to the atrocities long after the camp ceased operations.