Work Will Set You FreeThis sign is not the original. The original was stolen by 5 thieves in 2009. The original sign was been recovered but will not be put back up. This hangs at the entrance of Auschwitz I.
Inside this urn is human ashes.
Before Jews were tattooed with numbers to identify them, they had their pictures taken, but that got to be too expensive. Wall were covered with these mug shots.
They had displays of personal items recovered from the camps. The first and most disturbing of them was a display of human hair. It put a lump in my throat not just to see the hair but to learn that Nazi's used it to make socks and blankets for their own use. The display was a 10 foot long wall with a 6 foot depth glass case. Other items on display were shoes, thousands of shoes, combs, suitcases, clothes, glasses. There was a section for children's clothes that raised the hair on my arms. I found it very hard to take pictures of these items. So I didn't.
There was a hallway covered with these photos. The writing underneath tells of when they entered the camp and when they died. Most died within days of entering, it was rare to see anyone kept alive for a year.
Children.
Between two buildings is this memorial.
In the same area as the memorial, the building's windows are boarded. I asked to guide why. He said that shootings took place between the two buildings and boarding the windows was a way of keeping the prisoners from seeing the killings.
This pole was used to hang prisoners by their arms. They would "hog tie" their arms to the pole ultimately breaking and dislocating them. Afterwards, if they couldn't work (which they couldn't because their arms were broke) they would be killed.
This home is on the camp grounds. It is where Rudolf Hoss, the first commandant for the camp lived with his wife. After the war, his wife claimed to have not known about the killings going on in the camp. Not far from their home (maybe a football field's distance) was the gas chamber and crematorium. There is no way she didn't know what was happening.
This is the gallows where they hung Rudolf Hoss.
Part of the crematorium.
The entrance to the gas chamber.
This is the gas chamber. I only stayed long enough to take two pictures. I could not bear to be in this building.
This is the whole in the ceiling that the gas was released from. The guide said, the guards would hear screaming for about 20 minutes after the gas was released and then it was over.
The Crematorium.
This is the first shot I took at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
This is the camp that Ann Frank was first taken to.
Prisoners were told they were being "relocated" made to believe they were going some where nice that they could start a new life at.
From inside of the camp looking at the entrance.
Hundreds of Jews were cramped and standing in train coaches.
At the far end of the camp, there is a memorial area. There are 22 plated memorials (each in a different language).
Remains of a gas chamber that the Germans blew up in the revolt to cover up their crimes.
Another gas chamber's remains.
Human ashes were thrown into this small pond.
Memorials placed in front of the pond.
Inside one of the woman's housing building.
Four to a "bed", three levels.
These are the "toilets". The best job to have at the camp was in the toilet building. Prisoners were allowed to go to the bathroom twice a day and were only given minutes to do so. If you worked in the this building, you could use it when needed and the Germans were scared to go in there so the prisoners that worked here were not in danger of being killed.
The second camp is HUGE. We had to walk a distance from the entrance to the back of the camp. As I was walking down the gravel road (in my boots) I kept thinking, 'ow, this road hurts my feet'. Instant guilt washed over me. At least I had shoes on to protect me. As I walked through the camp, I found no reason in my life to complain.
Inside this urn is human ashes.
Before Jews were tattooed with numbers to identify them, they had their pictures taken, but that got to be too expensive. Wall were covered with these mug shots.
They had displays of personal items recovered from the camps. The first and most disturbing of them was a display of human hair. It put a lump in my throat not just to see the hair but to learn that Nazi's used it to make socks and blankets for their own use. The display was a 10 foot long wall with a 6 foot depth glass case. Other items on display were shoes, thousands of shoes, combs, suitcases, clothes, glasses. There was a section for children's clothes that raised the hair on my arms. I found it very hard to take pictures of these items. So I didn't.
There was a hallway covered with these photos. The writing underneath tells of when they entered the camp and when they died. Most died within days of entering, it was rare to see anyone kept alive for a year.
Children.
Between two buildings is this memorial.
In the same area as the memorial, the building's windows are boarded. I asked to guide why. He said that shootings took place between the two buildings and boarding the windows was a way of keeping the prisoners from seeing the killings.
This pole was used to hang prisoners by their arms. They would "hog tie" their arms to the pole ultimately breaking and dislocating them. Afterwards, if they couldn't work (which they couldn't because their arms were broke) they would be killed.
This home is on the camp grounds. It is where Rudolf Hoss, the first commandant for the camp lived with his wife. After the war, his wife claimed to have not known about the killings going on in the camp. Not far from their home (maybe a football field's distance) was the gas chamber and crematorium. There is no way she didn't know what was happening.
This is the gallows where they hung Rudolf Hoss.
Part of the crematorium.
The entrance to the gas chamber.
This is the gas chamber. I only stayed long enough to take two pictures. I could not bear to be in this building.
This is the whole in the ceiling that the gas was released from. The guide said, the guards would hear screaming for about 20 minutes after the gas was released and then it was over.
The Crematorium.
This is the first shot I took at Auschwitz II-Birkenau.
This is the camp that Ann Frank was first taken to.
Prisoners were told they were being "relocated" made to believe they were going some where nice that they could start a new life at.
From inside of the camp looking at the entrance.
Hundreds of Jews were cramped and standing in train coaches.
At the far end of the camp, there is a memorial area. There are 22 plated memorials (each in a different language).
Remains of a gas chamber that the Germans blew up in the revolt to cover up their crimes.
Another gas chamber's remains.
Human ashes were thrown into this small pond.
Memorials placed in front of the pond.
Inside one of the woman's housing building.
Four to a "bed", three levels. 
These are the "toilets". The best job to have at the camp was in the toilet building. Prisoners were allowed to go to the bathroom twice a day and were only given minutes to do so. If you worked in the this building, you could use it when needed and the Germans were scared to go in there so the prisoners that worked here were not in danger of being killed.
The second camp is HUGE. We had to walk a distance from the entrance to the back of the camp. As I was walking down the gravel road (in my boots) I kept thinking, 'ow, this road hurts my feet'. Instant guilt washed over me. At least I had shoes on to protect me. As I walked through the camp, I found no reason in my life to complain.I consider myself a religous person. It's not often that I question my faith or the existance of God, but seeing something like the concentration camps made
wonder how something like that could happen. Our guide said something while we were visiting the memorial area of the camp that gave me chills. He said, the camps are a reminder that something like Auschwitz could happen again. In fact, it is has in Darfur.
Susan "why?" B.
2 comments:
Gave me the chills.
Very Moving Susan. Thanks for sharing.
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