The Auschwitz complex, situated in the Polish town of Oświęcim, is an hour west of Krakow, and is easily accessible by rental car or tour bus. The three largest locations, Auschwitz I (the Main Complex), Auschwitz II: Birkenau and Auschwitz III: Buna-Monowitz were accompanied by another 45 sub-camps, factories and mines to make up the entirety of the Auschwitz concentration camp and extermination system. Today, most tour operators only include transport to Auschwitz I and II as these sites were the most inhabited.
Guided by a graveled and dusty path, the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign welcomes you into Auschwitz I. The atmosphere is still, silent, and solemn. As headsets are given to patrons as an informal guide, there is no trace of a live voice. Everyone is immersed in their imagination seeing shadows of souls long-time passed peering out empty windows, along darkened hallways, through wired fences. Their hallowed cheeks and sunken eyes follow you with an expressionless gaze. You are retracing their steps, the steps of the dead.
The buildings within this complex were once home to Nazis and prisoners alike. Experimentation, torture and death mixed with plans of extinction and absolute power seep out of the pores of the walls and fill you with feelings of utter emptiness. Now they house display cases and corridors filled with documents, photographs, and statistics along with hopeful pieces of luggage, prosthetic legs, shoes, eyeglasses, and religious cloth. The Black Wall of execution and Block 11, a place of severe torture, can also be found here.
Auschwitz II: Birkenau is two miles from the Main Complex and is known as being the location where "the Final Solution" was at its highest unrelenting level. The aged iron tracks once dictating the fate of thousands upon thousands of prisoners lead your steps to the back of the camp where the crematoria once stood. In 1944, a brave group of prisoners
self-titled the Sonderkommando revolted against German forces, burned Crema IV and attempted escape. Astonishingly enough, of those who rebelled there were some survivors, but not many. Before the Allied forces had the chance to arrive in 1945, Crematoria II,
III and V along with "The Little Red House" had been razed to the ground and plowed over in efforts to destroy all evidence. Today, only the ruins of "The Little White House" remain.
Some 67 buildings are scattered throughout barren 400 acres and chimneys that survived the SS burnings stand defiantly into the sky. Entering through the nail-scratched doors, it’s difficult to imagine eight hundred people fitting into a barrack intended for 52 horses.
The Auschwitz tour is a terrifying, bone-chilling experience; however it is sobering and essential for all to see. Years ago, my sixth grade class was visited by a survivor of Auschwitz who recounted his time within the camp. He mentioned George Santayana’s
quote, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Though we heard these words and listened to his story, as 11 year olds, I don’t think we truly understood what any of it meant. I don’t think I really understood the magnitude of this quote or the remarkable strength and courage of this man until I saw this "hell on earth" with my own eyes.
It is a hard excursion to internalize, but we owe it to the survivors and victims’ alike to learn their stories, to understand their difficulties and pains; it would be shameful not to. In the articles that follow, we must remember that ours and other’s freedoms were not made easily; many fought and died so that we could live in peace. If we cannot remember the darkness of the past, how can we possibly expect to create a brighter future?
Stay tuned for our next article, From Color to Darkness
Guided by a graveled and dusty path, the infamous "Arbeit Macht Frei" sign welcomes you into Auschwitz I. The atmosphere is still, silent, and solemn. As headsets are given to patrons as an informal guide, there is no trace of a live voice. Everyone is immersed in their imagination seeing shadows of souls long-time passed peering out empty windows, along darkened hallways, through wired fences. Their hallowed cheeks and sunken eyes follow you with an expressionless gaze. You are retracing their steps, the steps of the dead.
The buildings within this complex were once home to Nazis and prisoners alike. Experimentation, torture and death mixed with plans of extinction and absolute power seep out of the pores of the walls and fill you with feelings of utter emptiness. Now they house display cases and corridors filled with documents, photographs, and statistics along with hopeful pieces of luggage, prosthetic legs, shoes, eyeglasses, and religious cloth. The Black Wall of execution and Block 11, a place of severe torture, can also be found here.
Auschwitz II: Birkenau is two miles from the Main Complex and is known as being the location where "the Final Solution" was at its highest unrelenting level. The aged iron tracks once dictating the fate of thousands upon thousands of prisoners lead your steps to the back of the camp where the crematoria once stood. In 1944, a brave group of prisoners
self-titled the Sonderkommando revolted against German forces, burned Crema IV and attempted escape. Astonishingly enough, of those who rebelled there were some survivors, but not many. Before the Allied forces had the chance to arrive in 1945, Crematoria II,
III and V along with "The Little Red House" had been razed to the ground and plowed over in efforts to destroy all evidence. Today, only the ruins of "The Little White House" remain.
Some 67 buildings are scattered throughout barren 400 acres and chimneys that survived the SS burnings stand defiantly into the sky. Entering through the nail-scratched doors, it’s difficult to imagine eight hundred people fitting into a barrack intended for 52 horses.
The Auschwitz tour is a terrifying, bone-chilling experience; however it is sobering and essential for all to see. Years ago, my sixth grade class was visited by a survivor of Auschwitz who recounted his time within the camp. He mentioned George Santayana’s
quote, "those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." Though we heard these words and listened to his story, as 11 year olds, I don’t think we truly understood what any of it meant. I don’t think I really understood the magnitude of this quote or the remarkable strength and courage of this man until I saw this "hell on earth" with my own eyes.
It is a hard excursion to internalize, but we owe it to the survivors and victims’ alike to learn their stories, to understand their difficulties and pains; it would be shameful not to. In the articles that follow, we must remember that ours and other’s freedoms were not made easily; many fought and died so that we could live in peace. If we cannot remember the darkness of the past, how can we possibly expect to create a brighter future?
Stay tuned for our next article, From Color to Darkness
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