A Symbol of Terror, Genocide and The Holocaust – Auschwitz 13 Comments

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The UNESCO museum entrance opens at 8am and is free to enter, however, you do need to obtain a entry ticket. This can be downloaded and printed prior to arrival or alternatively you can obtain from a small kiosk at the side of the entrance. Here you can also buy a guided tour for £10 each. We arrived early at 8am to avoid the queue’s and the first available tour started at 10.30.

We passed through the security checks and entered the Auschwitz I. Originally, a Polish barracks before a concentration camp.  You can walk around all the site and enter most of the buildings without a guide. The barracks are now museums with information boards, video’s, photo’s and articles.

Nothing prepared us for the shock.

An extract from the initial information boarder at Auschwitz

Throughout the world, Auschwitz has become a symbol of terror, genocide, and the Holocaust. The German forces occupying Poland during the second World War established a concentration camp, on the outskirts of the town of Oswiecim, in 1940. The Germans called the town Auschwitz and that is the name by which the camp was known. Over the next years it was expanded into three main camps: Auschwitz I, Auschwitz II-Birkenau, and Auschwitz III-Monowitz and more tha forty sub camps.

The first people to be brought to Auschwitz as prisoners and murdered here were Poles. They were followed by Soviet prisoners of war, gypsies and deportees of many other nationalities. Beginning in 1942, however, Auschwitz became the setting for the most massive murder campaign in history, when the Nazis put into operation their plan to destroy the entire Jewish population of Europe. The great majority of Jews who were deported to Auschwitz – men, women and children – were sent immediately upon arrival to death in the gas chambers of Birkenau.

After Auschwitz I we walked 20 minutes down the road to the second site, Auschwitz II-Birkenau. This is the purpose built concentration camp to which some buildings are destroyed. It is here were the mass gas chambers exterminations took place and it is here you get an overwhelming sense of the scale of the atrocities.

It was truly heart-breaking.

Please note, we have done the pictures small for those people who do not wish to view. To enlarge, please click and scroll through.

 

Auschwitz

Birkenau

Auschwitz & Birkenau – Never Forgive, Never Forget.

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13 thoughts on “A Symbol of Terror, Genocide and The Holocaust – Auschwitz”

  • Reply ↓
    Ann

    I visited Auschwitz I in 2006 – unless they have changed the displays in the barracks, each one that told of the experience of a country during WW2. The Polish one was particularly sad as it told the story as it had affected my mother-in-law’s family – these were Catholic Poles living in an area that is now Ukraine. The anniversary of the shooting of her father, uncles and cousins is coming up on 23rd September.
    So glad you went in spite of all the sadness – it must be remembered.
    Ann

    • Reply ↓
      Bumble Crew Post author

      Still the same Ann. I thought the way in which they had set up a barrack for each country was very apt.
      I cant even begin to imagine how your mother-in-law copes with the anniversary, it much be a very difficult time for her.

  • Reply ↓
    Barriie Clarke

    It doesn’t bare thinking about what they had to live or die through, and for other reason but being Jewish.
    glad we didn’t have to go through it. lots of love Michele and Dad

  • Reply ↓
    Ju

    It’s a place everyone should be made to visit.

    After having already visited Dachau and a couple of other camps we were planning on going in without the guided tour, but I am so glad we didn’t. Our tour guide was amazing, she sounded like she was about to burst into tears half the time as she told us what life and death was like there. We had lumps in our throats most of the day and the experience will never leave us.
    Ju x

    • Reply ↓
      Bumble Crew Post author

      I never thought of it before but the tour guides have a very difficult job. Presenting the tour in the right way and seeing all the people get so upset must be hard. Must take a special kind of person to do that role.

  • Reply ↓
    Robert Ellis

    I’m surprised you visited Auschwits ,you won’t forget it ,it will live with you forever ,how anyone can be so cold hearted to do things as they did ,it just doesn’t real,They kept these camps to show the world & we must never forget ,All those Children’s boots ,shoes & various other things ,terrible ,Now that’s enough to spoil anyone’s day ,I don’t care how hard you are ,Hope it doesn’t spoil you’re trip ,think of the good times , have a good glass of wine or beer & think yourselves lucky Keep travelling keep safe keep enjoying Loads of Luv DADxxx Mac n Tosh woof woof xxx Pops xxx