Poland Day 8
Today we visited Auschwitz-Birkenau. I wasn't sure how to quite prepare for such an experience, and after being there, I don't think there was a way to. When we drove up to the entrance, it didn't feel like we were driving up to the largest concentration camp of the Nazis. There were food stands and gift shops advertising postcards and posters. There were a dozen and a half or so charter and tour buses parked and huge groups of people in line to take the tour. I'm not sure what I was expecting to see, but I didn't expect it to be as commercialized as it was. It is difficult for me to respond to a place that has that dark of history, and looking back on while I was there, I wasn't thinking much during the tour. The entire time I was there felt surreal. I did not take many pictures because I wanted to be in the moment absorbing the information, rather than taking pictures of everything. Throughout my visit, it was very hard for me to comprehend that there were over one million prisoners held there and such a small percentage actually survived to liberation.
Going through each of the exhibits was very weird. I know there were prisoners held there, but the first two blocks we went into had a very museum feel to it with showcases. The exhibits showed very disturbing scenes, but I couldn't get a sense of what the building looked like before the showcases. Eventually, we were able to go into two untouched blocks and I was able to get a better idea of the conditions, but I was unable to, and still can't, comprehend the number of people that were forced to sleep in one bunk or live in one building. The prison block and gas chamber were terribly chilling. I wasn't quite sure what to think besides how terrifying it had to have been killed in such cruel ways.
The first part of the tour felt very rushed, primarily due to the size of our group and the number of people visiting. I wasn't able to take everything in as much as I wanted to, again partially due to being pushed through in a timely manner, but also, the headsets had a lot of static. I wasn't able to read everything because our guide was talking and I wasn't able to hear or see everything she was saying at certain points due to the size of our group or the surrounding noise.
Birkenau was a lot calmer and I was able to sit in my thoughts a little bit more. It was chilling seeing the entrance and the train tracks that I have seen in so many pictures and documentaries. The living areas were much worse than in Auschwitz due to the Nazis running out of brick. The barrack we went into was supposed to be a stable for 51 horses and was forced to house 1000 prisoners. I still can't comprehend how cramped that had to be, but our guide mentioned that there were usually 11 people to one bed. Each bed had 9 planks as the baseboard.
We walked the same route that hundreds of thousands of prisoners walked to crematorium 2. I found myself looking at the ground during most of the way, maybe to shield myself from the surrounding camp, or maybe to try to picture the footprints of those prisoners unknowingly on their way to be martyred. All that was left of the crematorium was rubble from when Nazis destroyed it in efforts to cover up the evidence of their terrible crimes. A memorial was added a few decades ago that apparently represents every type of grave marking depending on the religion or area. It was very moving. Finally, we read the English plaque, which read the same thing as 23 other plaques in the common languages spoken in Auschwitz-Birkenau, "FOR EVER LET THIS PLACE BE A CRY OF DESPAIR AND A WARNING TO HUMANITY, WHERE THE NAZIS MURDERED ABOUT ONE AND A HALF MILLION MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN MAINLY JEWS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES OF EUROPE. AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU 1940-1945"
It is very important to realize that the number of survivors of the Holocaust is getting smaller and the survivors are becoming very old. Before we know it, the only witnesses left in the world will be these few camps that survived the war and those that take the time to learn, visit, and teach the world about the terrible crimes committed against so many people.
As I mentioned, I wasn't thinking very much during the tour. It wasn't until getting back to the hotel that I started to conceptualize where I had just visited. The preservation of this camp is very important, but very tragic site. This area needs to be used for the education and awareness of the events that occurred during the Second World War. This site should not be treated as a tourist destination as I think some visitors that I saw today might have thought. Auschwitz is a place of memorial and tragedy used in place as a warning to all of humanity and as a place to honor those who lost their lives.
Going through each of the exhibits was very weird. I know there were prisoners held there, but the first two blocks we went into had a very museum feel to it with showcases. The exhibits showed very disturbing scenes, but I couldn't get a sense of what the building looked like before the showcases. Eventually, we were able to go into two untouched blocks and I was able to get a better idea of the conditions, but I was unable to, and still can't, comprehend the number of people that were forced to sleep in one bunk or live in one building. The prison block and gas chamber were terribly chilling. I wasn't quite sure what to think besides how terrifying it had to have been killed in such cruel ways.
The first part of the tour felt very rushed, primarily due to the size of our group and the number of people visiting. I wasn't able to take everything in as much as I wanted to, again partially due to being pushed through in a timely manner, but also, the headsets had a lot of static. I wasn't able to read everything because our guide was talking and I wasn't able to hear or see everything she was saying at certain points due to the size of our group or the surrounding noise.
Birkenau was a lot calmer and I was able to sit in my thoughts a little bit more. It was chilling seeing the entrance and the train tracks that I have seen in so many pictures and documentaries. The living areas were much worse than in Auschwitz due to the Nazis running out of brick. The barrack we went into was supposed to be a stable for 51 horses and was forced to house 1000 prisoners. I still can't comprehend how cramped that had to be, but our guide mentioned that there were usually 11 people to one bed. Each bed had 9 planks as the baseboard.
We walked the same route that hundreds of thousands of prisoners walked to crematorium 2. I found myself looking at the ground during most of the way, maybe to shield myself from the surrounding camp, or maybe to try to picture the footprints of those prisoners unknowingly on their way to be martyred. All that was left of the crematorium was rubble from when Nazis destroyed it in efforts to cover up the evidence of their terrible crimes. A memorial was added a few decades ago that apparently represents every type of grave marking depending on the religion or area. It was very moving. Finally, we read the English plaque, which read the same thing as 23 other plaques in the common languages spoken in Auschwitz-Birkenau, "FOR EVER LET THIS PLACE BE A CRY OF DESPAIR AND A WARNING TO HUMANITY, WHERE THE NAZIS MURDERED ABOUT ONE AND A HALF MILLION MEN, WOMEN AND CHILDREN MAINLY JEWS FROM VARIOUS COUNTRIES OF EUROPE. AUSCHWITZ-BIRKENAU 1940-1945"
It is very important to realize that the number of survivors of the Holocaust is getting smaller and the survivors are becoming very old. Before we know it, the only witnesses left in the world will be these few camps that survived the war and those that take the time to learn, visit, and teach the world about the terrible crimes committed against so many people.
As I mentioned, I wasn't thinking very much during the tour. It wasn't until getting back to the hotel that I started to conceptualize where I had just visited. The preservation of this camp is very important, but very tragic site. This area needs to be used for the education and awareness of the events that occurred during the Second World War. This site should not be treated as a tourist destination as I think some visitors that I saw today might have thought. Auschwitz is a place of memorial and tragedy used in place as a warning to all of humanity and as a place to honor those who lost their lives.
Comments
Post a Comment