Auschwitz was a German Nazi concentration and extermination camp where over 1.1 million men, women and children brutally lost their loves during World War II. Growing up in Holland, I learned about the Holocaust from reading books on school and watching films like Schindler’s List which touch this subject in a very dramatic, powerful and horrific way. The tragedies I saw as a younger me in print and on film were unbelievable, but it’s difficult to properly quantify and imagine what really happened. I knew back then that I had to visit the sight of Auschwitz one day……and that day came in November 2012.
Auschwitz
There are regular buses from the bus station in Krakow to Oswiecim from which it’s a short walk to the sight of Auschwitz. The drive takes roughly 1.5 hours. Leave early to avoid the crowds. I had a very uneasy and uncomfortable feeling when I walked towards the concentration camp. I knew I was going to a place where thousands of people were brutally executed. When I got to the main gate I saw the ‘famous’ phrase –Arbeit Macht Frei-, which is written on top of the gate. It means that if you work hard enough it will set you free; unfortunately that was not the case. Very few people survived the camps.
The main gate of Auschwitz.
One of the many watchtowers.
As I was walking around the camp I noticed that all the buildings are lined up perfectly and organized. It almost looks peaceful until you realize where you are. The long rows of eerie chimneys, watchtowers and the endless barbed wire walls puts you back into reality.
The buildings where the prisoners were kept.
Right: The firing squad wall
The public execution site is a horrific example of the tragedy that has happened here. You will see gallows for public hangings and a firing squad wall where the Nazis opened fire on any groups of innocent people. I can’t even imagine what would have gone through the heads of all those prisoners who had to see, feel and participate in all this horror. It made me very uncomfortable.
Concentration camp Auschwitz.
The hospital.
Concentration camp Auschwitz.
One of the places which made a deep and uncomfortable impression on me were the gas chambers. When the Jews arrive at Auschwitz they’re being inspected and divided into 2 groups: the healthy and unhealthy ones. The healthy ones were forced to work and the unhealthy ones were directly led to the last room they will ever see. Thousands of naked people entered the large room in which they thought that they were going to take a shower. As they were packed together like pigs the doors were locked. Poison gas entered the room via the fake showerheads and within a few minutes they were all dead. Their bodies were then moved to the adjacent crematorium and shoved into the massive ovens until only ashes remain. I could literary feel the presence of the countless crying lost souls. My stomach felt very heavy and sad. All that there remains now is an eerie silence.
Concentration camp Auschwitz.
Concentration camp Auschwitz.
Concentration camp Auschwitz.
Besides being executed the prisoners also died of starvation, sicknesses and the extreme cold during the long winters. The word ‘inhuman’ will do little justice to what had happened here.
Concentration camp Auschwitz.
The museum has many dramatic photos.
You can also visit the nearby Auschwitz II – Birkenau concentration camp which you can reach with a shuttle bus from the Auschwitz 1 camp. After spending a few hours at the Auschwitz 1 camp I was mentally not able to visit the nearby Birkenau camp. It was more than that I could handle. After the first camp I returned to Krakow.
The crematorium.
Left: Endless barbed wire walls – Right: Public hanging spot
It’s now been 4 years since I visited Auschwitz, but it’s still so fresh in my mind. The feelings you get when you visit the sight make a lasting impression. These emotions are difficult to express in words. I’ve read the books and I saw the movies, but visiting the sight makes it all so real. I encourage everyone to visit Auschwitz; out of respect and to never forget what happened to thousands of innocent people.
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