The Auschwitz Memorial in Poland is defending its decision to install outdoor mist sprinklers that reminded outraged visitors of gas chambers.

A number of tourists who visited the former Nazi death camp in recent days said they were stunned to see the sprinklers outside the entrance.

“As a Jew who has lost so many relatives in the Holocaust, they looked like the showers that the Jews were forced to take before entering the gas chambers,” Meir Bulka told The Jerusalem Post.

Reactions to photos shared on social media ranged from confusion to shock.

Miejsce przed Auschwitz stworzone dla ochłody. Choc w taki upał zbawienne, wygląda nieco przerażajaco. #auschwitz #oswiecim A photo posted by Nikola Tkacz (@nikolatkacz) on Aug 30, 2015 at 3:39am PDT

The Auschwitz Memorial museum responded to the controversy on its Facebook page, saying the sprinklers were installed to keep visitors cool during the August heat wave in Poland.

Because thousands of people visit the memorial every day and lineups in the blazing sun are long, the sprinklers were installed “on the days of highest temperatures and removed when the temperature drops,” the museum said.

“Something had to be done, as we have noticed cases of faints among people and other dangerous situations.”

The museum added that the “safety and health of visitors are our priority during the period of extreme heat.”

It also brushed off comparisons between the sprinklers and gas chambers.

Since there are articles about the mist sprinklers at the Auschwitz Memorial entrance published, and you also send us... Posted by Auschwitz Memorial / Muzeum Auschwitz on Monday, August 31, 2015

The responses to the museum's explanation were mixed.

“Whilst I’ve no doubt this was carried out in good faith, I think you maybe should have thought of the consequences,” wrote one Facebook user.

Another person wrote: “I’m sorry people are making an attempt to create a parallel between the misters (which are very helpful in hot weather) to the “showers” that murdered millions.”

Auschwitz was the largest Nazi concentration camp during the Second World War. It is estimated that more than 1.1 million people and children, most of them Jews, were killed there between 1940 and 1945.