The Most Notorious Concentration and Death Camp
"Those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it." ~ George Santayana
I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau this past June as part of a tour of East-Central Europe. It was a somber, thought-provoking, humbling experience. I recommend that everyone visit this former Concentration Camp. We were given headphones that we could program so we could hear the tour guide.
At Auschwitz, there were sections where photographs were not allowed - these are where the more personal and disturbing artefacts are displayed. I thought it was interesting that the storage rooms for Jewish and Polish personal items were called "Canada 1" and Canada 2". I am from Canada so found this fact intriguing. They named the storage units after Canada because it is considered a safe haven.
We went by Rudolf Hess' house, which was surprisingly close to the "showers" and crematorium.
A fifteen minute transfer took us to Birkenau. This is where the trains arrived and Josef Mengele did his "experiments". We saw the remains of the "showers" and toured a former bunker where a lot of women shared a small, rancid space and slept five or six to a bunk.
I was surprised by how much space Birkenau occupied. This part of the tour takes place outdoors, so wear sunglasses and a hat, if you are there in the summer.
It was a sobering and thought-provoking tour.
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| The gate to Auschwitz |
I visited Auschwitz-Birkenau this past June as part of a tour of East-Central Europe. It was a somber, thought-provoking, humbling experience. I recommend that everyone visit this former Concentration Camp. We were given headphones that we could program so we could hear the tour guide.
At Auschwitz, there were sections where photographs were not allowed - these are where the more personal and disturbing artefacts are displayed. I thought it was interesting that the storage rooms for Jewish and Polish personal items were called "Canada 1" and Canada 2". I am from Canada so found this fact intriguing. They named the storage units after Canada because it is considered a safe haven.
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| The barbed-wire fence enclosing the buildings |
We went by Rudolf Hess' house, which was surprisingly close to the "showers" and crematorium.
A fifteen minute transfer took us to Birkenau. This is where the trains arrived and Josef Mengele did his "experiments". We saw the remains of the "showers" and toured a former bunker where a lot of women shared a small, rancid space and slept five or six to a bunk.
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| A train car on the track at Birkenau |
I was surprised by how much space Birkenau occupied. This part of the tour takes place outdoors, so wear sunglasses and a hat, if you are there in the summer.
It was a sobering and thought-provoking tour.
~Angie
