Auschwitz Birkenau

On the 13th of April, 8.30 in the morning, a minibus came to pick us up. We arrived at the town of Oświęcim after a 45 min drive. I was really looking forward to this tour, but little did i expect what i saw and heard to be so heart wrenching.

Auschwitz was established in 1940 by the Nazis and was originally intended for Polish political prisoners. It was built to terrorise and exteminate Poles. As time passed, the Nazis began to deport people from all over Europe, mainly Jews - citizens of various countries. Soviet prisoners-of-war, Gypsies, Czechs, Yugoslavs, Frenchmen, Austrians, Germans and others where also among the prisoners of Auschwitz.

As the number of inmates grew, the Auschwitz camp also grew, until it became a gigantic factory of death. Auschwitz I spawned Auschwitz II - Birkenau, a death camp that was more than 20 times bigger. The entire Auschwitz complex grew to include more than 40 branches.

The main gate of Auschwitz I, meaning "work brings freedom". This was hardly the case. Prisoners passed through this gate every morning, returning 12 hrs later. It is also important to realise how terrible conditions were for the prisoners. Of the many many people sent to the camp, only 25 - 30% became prisoners. The others were sent to the gas chambers immediately. This does not mean that they were excused from death however. The intention was for them to contribute to Nazi war effort before dying. There was no date of release.

Our tour guide for the morning

Picture depicting the camp orchestra playing, so that the thousands of prisoners could march quickly. This way the SS could count them more efficiently.

Double electric fences surrounded the entire compound. There was no way of escape from within the camp.

Auschwitz was the biggest Nazi concentration camp for Poles and prisoners from other countries. The idea was to isolate them, break them down mentally and physically. Extermination was to be carried out through several means. Hunger, exhaustion, criminal experiments and of course individual and mass executions. The camp was also the biggest center for the mass extermination of European Jews. As i mentioned, the majority of people sent here were gassed on arrival. These people comprises of the weak, the elderly and also women and children. If you were seen as unfit for work, you were gassed. The Auschwitz - Birkenau State Museum states the number of victims as around 1.1million.

The roll call ground.

As the name suggests, this was where the SS made sure each prisoner came back after work. This however also became a torture in itself, often lasting several hours. Prisoners has to stand in all weather conditions. Public executions also took place here. You can see the collective gallows (where the 2 people are). Family members of prisoners who tried to escape where publicly executed here as well, to deter others from trying.

Jews who arrived here were convinced that they had been deported for "resettlement" in Eastern Europe. Many were deceived by promise of land and work in fictitious factories. They brought with them their most treasured possessions. Little did they know that they would meet their end here.

Block 4 was one of the several blocks housing artifacts. The museum also shows many pictures and items that belonged to the victims. We were not allowed to take pictures from inside the buildings. The few following pictures were taken from other online sources.

Room full of Shoes

Room full of suitcases. They each had a name

Prosthetic legs

Room full of real human hair.
Picture taken from http://www.scrapbookpages.com/auschwitzscrapbook/tour/Auschwitz1/Auschwitz11.html

I was shocked when i entered the room full of human hair. After they were screened and separated, those non-fit-for-work people were told to go to a changing room to strip naked. They were told that they needed to be disinfected. They were then herded and locked into a "shower room" with fake showers attached to the ceilings. They had no clue what lies ahead because disinfecting was common procedure in resettlement. Canisters of Zyclone-B would then be dropped through hatches at the top. Some died immediately, some died slow painful death. Within 20 minutes, everyone was dead. After gold tooth fillings, earrings, and hair, yes hair was removed, the bodies were taken to incinerators. And what was the hair for? The Nazis used human hair to make blankets for their own soldiers. When Soviet troops liberated the camp in 1945, they found 7000 kg of human hair. This was the little that the Nazis had no time to get rid off.

Cruel sterilization experiments were conducted on women. The idea was to find out the best way to conduct mass sterilization of a people, thereby exterminating the race entirely. Some children, especially twins, were also subjected to experiments.

Guard tower and the Halt sign

Prisoners lived in appalling sanitory conditions. In addition, hard work and hunger caused complete physical exhaustion. Some women weighed only 23 - 30kg. They were not given a moment's rest. Constant harassment and beatings increased the death rate. Hard labour was in fact, used as another efficient means of killing prisoners. Prisoners worked to produce coal, arms and chemical products. They also built other compounds, digged trenches, did metalwork and worked the mines.

The Execution Wall, next to block 11, the block of death. Thousands of prisoners were executed naked here.

In the death block was a summary court and different kinds of cellars. There were Suffocation rooms, starvation rooms and standing cellars, where 4 prisoners were locked in standing position in a 90X90cm room.

Prisoners where hung from this pole by their hands that were behind their back. Their feet were off the ground. Flogging also took place here.

The guard post

With rats and insects abound, illnesses and epidemics spread quickly. It is no wonder the hospital could not handle the large number of sick. Those deemed to have little chance of a quick recovery were sent straight to the gas chambers, or simply murdered in the hospital.

Despite the harsh conditions, the prisoners still managed to conspire against the SS. Many were able to establish contact with neighbouring inhabitants to smuggle food or medicine in.

Another form of resistance were efforts to tell the world about the atrocities committed by the Nazis. List of names or prisoners and SS men, as well as evidence of their crime, reached the outside world.

Gallows

Sealed entrance to underground bunkers in case of bombing raids

Crematorium, later converted into a temporary gas chamber

Entrance to the Crematorium

The next 3 indoor pictures were taken from an online source:

The Gas Chamber

Furnaces

2-3 bodies were placed on the slides at 1 time.

Pictures taken from http://simplethinking.com/home/auschwitz_1.htm

Crematorium 1

The trees seem to weep for the dead

After walking through Auschwitz I, we hopped back onto the minibus, which brought us to Birkenau. Auschwitz II Birkenau is part of Auschwitz, 3 km away, but is 2o times bigger.


When i arrived, i was stunned by the size of this place.

Birkenau, unlike Auschwitz 1, is not a museum, but a memorial. You won't find many signs and exhibits, just a massive reminder of the suffering.

This camp covered a total of 175 hectares. 1 hectare is 100m x 100m. It contained over 3oo buildings.

A railway track ran straight through, so that prisoners were brought right into the camp. This is also where the "screening" took place.

The railway of death

When the war was almost over, the Nazis blew up the gas chambers and crematoria II and III, attempting to cover up their criminal activities. The ruins of the crematorium remains.

Birkenau was a muddy and water logged place. Prisoners dug these trenches to channel out water. Working in the trenches such hard work because they where exposed to the cold weather. It was almost a death sentence in itself.

These holes were toilet seats. 200 people can use it at one time, but according to my guide, most never had time. The entire camp was given only 3o minutes in the morning to do any washing up. Some prisoners eventually lost their mind and was reduced to behaving like animals. They didn't bother about washing their faces and defecated in their clothing. Breaking the prisoners down was exactly what the SS intended.

Wooden bunk beds, up to 10 people slept in 1 level. At its peak, there were 100 000 prisoners in Birkenau

Reconstructed wooden barracks.. as far as the eyes can see

Only the foundations remained of many of the wooden buildings

Electric fences separated the male and female areas

Guard towers


This video was taken on top of the main SS guard house. Shows the size of this massive camp

A huge huge camp

Heavy hearts

I didn't know what expression was appropriate

1.1 million human beings..

On the way back on the bus

Seeing the grotesque images and learning about such cruel acts of violence did disturb me, but i guess what hit me the most was the fact that man can actually be capable of such evil.

I tell myself that i cannot allow myself to forget what i saw that day.

**Much of the information in this entry was gotten from the Aushwitz Birkenau Guide book i bought that day**