Auschwitz visit

 So today is a very somber morning.

Why?  Spike, we get to travel!

True, Captain, but we are headed to Auschwitz, one of the largest concentration camps in the second World War.  It is located near the village of  Oświęcim.

Oh.  So I guess we won't be taking many photos.

No.  Out of respect for the millions who were interred and killed in teh Second World War.

This is at the original gate, in Auschwitz I, which was originally just political prisoners. It used to be a Polish army camp before the war.

What do the words say?

Captain, they say Arbeit Mach Frei, which means "Work makes you Free" in German.  THis was what people saw when they entered the camp.

You can see the barbed wires.  The fences were electrified, with dogs between the two rows of fence.

Spike, the buildings look nice.

This was the original part of the camp, so the building were already there.  Of course, the barracks were overcrowded.  A room meant to house 5 people suddenly held 30 people.

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This is a pile of luggage, brought by the prisoners.  They had to give up all they had on arrival.  It did not matter why they were there.

And here are shoes.  Millions of them.  The red one stands out in the pile.....

This is a guard house and the fence.  It doesn't look too bad.

Except the fence was electrified.  We use 220V in our homes. These fences had over 700V.

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Now where are we?  This looks so different!

This is the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, also known as Auschwitz II.  This is where the Jewish prisoners were brought.  Most never even made it to a barracks; they went straight to the crematoria.  The men and women were sent to separate areas of the camp.

This boxcar is one that was used to transport the prisoners here.  The cars were crowded with over 100 people in a small space.

Most of Auschwitz II barracks were destroyed, but the chimneys remain.  There were wooden barracks and brisk  barracks. Each one had a small stove for the entire barracks heating.  

How many barracks were there?

There were 174 barracks at Auschwitz II.  Each could hold up to almost 775 people.  Most were crowded.

What is this?  A storage area?

No.  This is a bunk in one of the barracks.  Each of the 3 sections held up to 12 people.  THat is 36 people in an area of 4 square meters.

This is a barracks.  It doesn't look so bad.

Until you realize there is no insulation, little heat, and cracks between the boards.

Spike, I am glad we made the visit to the camp.  It was a sad place, but people need to go there to see what happened.  It makes you appreciate your freedom even more.

That is so true Captain.