Auschwitz

Lee and I arrived in Krakow on Monday. Tuesday Morning we took a trip to Auchwitz/Birkenau. We investigated guided tours but decided to go by ourselves in order to have time for contemplation.
We walked to the bus station and boarded the mini bus. There were only a few people on board and we anticipated a quiet ride. But at the last moment a group of about 20 German students arrived and squeezed noisily onto the bus filling all seats and the aisles. Hearing German spoken by these carefree young people on their spring break added a strange twist to our visit.

We arrived and saw the introductory film, an old Black and White documentary made soon after the liberation of the camp. Accompanied ironically with the powerful music of Beethoven and Brahms, it told and showed in harrowing detail the horrors of this terrible place. The images of suffering were unbearable. Starving and haunted half dead people staggered out unable to comprehend that their nightmare was over.
We went to the camp and entered through the famous gate.




I can not express what I felt then or during most of my visit. I Think it is not possible for the brain to comprehend everything that took place here. But at that moment I felt a terrible heaviness.
The camp was built with great care. The buildings were well constructed and even attractive to the eye. Barbed wire is everywhere. Some of the old signs are still there in German. Beware High Voltage Risk of death.

We walked around, and then entered what must be the most unspeakable place on earth, the gas chamber and crematorium.


Later we toured a number of the buildings which had exhibits about what it was like in the camp. There were large rooms filled with suitcases, each neatly labeled with the name and address of the owner. Others were filled with shoes. There was one with only children's shoes. That and another one of prayer shawls really got to me.
Other rooms described the daily life of the prisoners filled with unimaginable cruelty. They worked 11 hours a day and were fed a diet of about 1500 calories. Unless they could find more food, they would starve to death in a few months. Many did and others were tortured or killed when caught stealing food.
Everywhere there was the evidence of how methodical it all was. Glass cases were filled with documents and orders. Technically perfect photographs of hundreds of prisoners were on the walls of one building. You saw the frightened faces of children and adults almost all of whom did not survive.
The medical experiments were well documented and horrifying. Many died or were maimed as a result. Twins were used for Dr Mengele's experiments. Women and men were sterilized. Often these people were killed so that the doctors could do autopsies.
We saw a wall where thousands of prisoners were lined up and shot.
After this, we took a shuttle bus to the other much larger camp Birkenau. Most buildings were partially destroyed, but the scale is enormous.
I am glad that I made this visit, but I could not do it again