Oświęcim is a town in the Lesser Poland province of southern Poland, situated 33 kilometres (21 mi) southeast of Katowice, near the confluence of the Vistula (Wisła) and Soła rivers. The town is known internationally for being the site of the German Nazi-built Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, when Poland was occupied by Nazi Germany.

The Vistula is the longest river in Poland and the ninth-longest in Europe, at 1,047 kilometres in length. Its drainage basin, extending into three other countries apart from Poland, covers 193,960 km2 (74,890 sq mi), of which 168,868 km2 (65,200 sq mi) is in Poland.