Appellplatz (often spelt appelplatz) is a compound German word meaning "roll call area": (Appell + Platz).
Roll calls were a key component of the daily regimen in Nazi concentration camps, carried out to count the prisoners but also to inspect, humiliate, weaken and intimidate them.
Roll calls were held year round no matter the weather, be it driving snow, pouring rain or extreme temperatures.
Harsh disciplinary measures, including beatings and death, were taken against anyone who was late to or who did not remain perfectly still during roll calls.
Selektions were sometimes made during roll calls;[1] prisoners would be looked over, and those deemed unhealthy or too weak to work were killed.