First thing to say at this point, was I really hadn't realised the size of the place, and what was worse, this wasn't as big as the next place we visited!.
First impressions when we arrived were maybe a little strange. I couldn't get my head around was the f that there was a hotel across the road. Personally I couldn't stay there, it just wouldn't seem right. I now know that there is no way you can see everything in a day, but I would much rather travel from somewhere else than stay there.
Anyway moving on.
It was very busy. This is actually now a museum . At first I thought the feelings I was going to experience were maybe going to be drowned out by the noise, but I needn't have worried.
These are the first images after you get through security. Doesn't look too bad, but then the guide started explaining things and you start to get a sense of "oh no"!
This is the gate where the prisoners were marched through on arrival. It translates to "Work sets you free" Only it didn't for most of the prisoners. This watch tower kept an eye on the prisoners, it obviously is one of many.
This is a photo taken outside the kitchen area. It is an orchestra of prisoners who had to play here for everyone. If they were in the orchestra they had a better chance of survival. It was one of the "good" jobs to have.
This is one of the blocks were the prisoners were housed. Before becoming a concentration camp it was an army barracks, so there are many of these blocks crammed full of prisoners. Most of these now house exhibitions about the holocaust and although interesting, also in most cases very harrowing.
This room is the one that affected me the most, don't get me wrong, there are others that have an equally bad affect, but this one really got to me. I didn't take this photo as for obvious reasons, photography wasn't allowed in this room. It is downloaded from the "Memorial and Museum Auschwitz-Birkenau" page (http://auschwitz.org/en/gallery/exhibits/general-exhibition,2.html) The room is huge & you can see just how much hair is there. There is apparently a lot more of this in a warehouse elsewhere. This display is the whole length more or less of the building above. It is full of human hair. The Nazi's cut the hair off their victims, much of it was sent to Germany to be made into socks & tights etc. At the time of liberation, this is what was left at the camp. It affected me more than the displays of peoples possessions, because hair is actually part of the victims, not something they've bought or were given, it is a part of the person. All that hair belonged to people who had been murdered. That is why I found it so hard.
This map shows where the prisoners came from. Oslo down to Greece.
This is just a very small part of the display of shoes that once belonged to the victims.
This is from the children's room, dedicated to the memory of the children who were victims of the camp. On the wall are the photos of the children who were murdered (who also had their hair cut off), and underneath are a selection of the children's clothes. Again I didn't take this photo, I just couldn't do it. It's from the same sight as above. (http://auschwitz.org/en/gallery/exhibits/general-exhibition,2.html)
At this point we need to remember that many children, especially twins were subject to medical experiments at Auschwitz. Twins were one of the main interests, but they weren't the only ones, adults, mainly women and dwarfs too were experimented on.
Just a couple more photos of the site.
This is the largest book in the world. It is called "The book of names". In it are the names of everyone who they know was murdered, there were many people murdered of whom there are no records. The sheer size of it, makes you realise the enormity of what happened. You also have to remember not everyone was murdered in the gas chambers, some were shot, hanged, worked to death, starved to death, beaten to death. But which ever way they died they were still murdered.
The bottom photo is the yard where they used to do the roll-call.
This plaque explains about the roll-calls, and about the fact that if the SS weren't happy they would make the prisoners stand there for hours whatever the weather. Across from here were gallows where the SS would carry out public hangings ti intimidate the prisoners.
If any prisoners went beyond this sign, they were shot.
Rudolf Hoess was the commandant at Auschwitz. His house is situated on the site, although we could only see it through the trees. He lived there during the war with his family. They even had a swimming pool. So while all the murder & persecution was happening, Hoess continued to have a normal family life, as if nothing was happening. That is something else I find hard to process. While he was overseeing the murder of so many people, he could go home at night & be a normal dad & husband. What sort of person does that make him? The photo above is where he was finally hanged after the war.
This is one of the Gas Chambers. Going inside this was awful. Again I obviously didn't take photos. You have to go through in silence, it gives you chance to take it all in. There is a room where they had to undress. Then the actual chamber itself, which housed so many prisoners. That had an awful feel to it. But then you walk through to where the large ovens are. To me it looked like they were still set up waiting for the next batch. Again I found that very hard & at this point wanted to cry.
Now it was time to leave Auschwitz 1 and move onto Auschwitz 2 - Birkenau. There was so much we didn't have time to see. So many exhibitions we didn't get a chance to look at. Would I go back to see the rest? At the moment no. I still feel too emotionally drained. However when I finally get through this, I honestly can't say if I will change my mind, but right now, there is no way.
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