Anecdotes, Antidotes, and Anodes

Auschwitz - Part 3

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These steps are worn from the thousands of victims who walked up them and then down them to their deaths in the 'showers.'

Upstairs in Room 4 of Block 4 is the information about the crematorium.

People entered it on the left and were told to undress and to hang their clothing on hooks that were numbered.  They were encouraged to remember that number so their clothes could be retrieved later.

What a cruel thing this was.

From there, they were sent to the 'showers.'

 

 

 

 

 

 

The prisoners were killed by a German-produced cleaning agent called Zyklon-B gas. (hydrogen cyanide)

It was lethal when given in high doses.

The Nazis were quite efficient with murder.  They could kill approximately 8,000 prisoners in 20 minutes in gas chambers like those shown above.

Elevators took the bodies up to the crematorium and Jewish inmates called Sonderkommand were forced to work here. They were kept in isolation and their job was to remove the corpses' gold teeth and shave off their hair before putting the bodies in the ovens.

There is an entire room of some of that hair.  Floor to ceiling behind a glass wall. 

FOUR THOUSAND FOUR HUNDRED pounds of hair. 

Also in that room is a bolt of cloth made from that hair. 

Also in that room are Nazi uniforms made from that cloth

(Photos were not allowed here.   Unfortunately, not everyone pays attention to the signs or care to follow the rules.  You can bet that I point out the signs to those who aren't respectful of this.)

Sometimes a Sonderkommand worker would recognize his wife, child, mother, or father among the dead.

Some of these workers would become so distraught, they committed suicide by throwing themselves into the electric fences.  After a two-month shift, the Nazis would systematically execute the Sonderkommand worker.

 

Related articles

Auschwitz - Part 1

Auschwitz - Part 2

Auschwitz - Part 2

You may ask, "Why would you want to visit this notorious site where these atrocities occurred?"

Granted, seeing these photos and reading these words was difficult and overwhelming.  So many emotions . . . sadness and anger . . . so many questions  . . . how could so many be so evil . . . inspiration at the remarkable stories of survival . . .

No history class, no movie, no documentary . . . can portray the scale and monstrosity of this place.

In the minds of the Auschwitz survivors and their families, a steady flow of visitors will ensure that the Holocaust is always remembered, so nothing like it should ever happen again.

You may also ask, "Why would you want to post this on your blog?" 

Chances are, you haven't been here.  Chances are, you may never visit Auschwitz.  My reason is complicated . . . I feel the need to share my emotion and that I will never think about the Holocaust in the same way again.   There is no way I can wrap my mind around what I saw here, and I hope my words will affect those who read this post in the same way.  This was a profound experience . . . every time we stood in line for a tour somewhere or were packed into a tiny, pitch-black elevator coming up out of the Krakow Salt Mine, my mind immediately went to these pictures and my stomach turned. .

The sign above reads, "One of the many torments of life in the concentration camp was the daily roll call. The entire prison population of thousand of prisoners had to stand at attention during the roll call held on the central square at this location. Later when the new building was constructed over all the original roll call area the prisoners were lined up on the camp streets in front of the blocks. The roll call often lasted several hours and sometimes even a dozen hours or longer."

This is Block 4.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Inside there are exhibits about the extermination.

 

 This map shows the countries from which Auschwitz prisoners were brought. 

Some were brought here from as far away a Norway and Greece.

To prevent a riot, the Nazis claimed at first that this was only a transition camp for resettlement in Eastern Europe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   Auschwitz was the largest Nazi German Concentration Camp and Death Camp.

In the years 1940-1945, the Nazis deported at least 1,300,000 people to Auschwitz:
1,100,000                 Jews
140,000-150,000 Poles
23,000                        Roma (Gypsies)
15,000                        Soviet Prisoners of War
25,000 Prisoners from other ethnic groups

1,100,000 of these people died in Auschwitz. Approximately 90% of the victims were Jews. The SS murdered the majority of them in the gas chambers. (The SS stood for the Schutzstaffel.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 This urn is filled with ashes which is a symbolic memorial to all of the concentration camp's victims.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Displayed in Room 3 of Block 4 are some of the only photos that exist of victims inside the camp that were taken by arrogant SS men:

 

There was panel after panel of photos not seen anywhere except in this room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After seeing these photos and reading the quotes with those awful words, I found an open window to catch my breath and breathe in some fresh air.

 

Related articles

Auschwitz - Part 1

Auschwitz - Part 1

It's been a very long time since a story and photos have been posted here. Life does come before blogging, but there comes a time I just have to sit down and regroup my thoughts, put them on 'paper,' and process what I've seen and felt.

I must be honest, my travel blogs are all created selfishly...so I can look back and remember where I've been and what I had to say about that particular place at that particular time.

Hans and I have just returned from a marathon trip. Again. As I type with these jet lagged fingers, I'm trying to remember where we've been and where all this started...briefly it went like this:  We drove to Denver, flew to Reyjkavik, Iceland, spent a couple of days/nights there, flew to Frankfurt, Germany, rode a shuttle to Landstuhl and spent a few days trying to get our days and nights straight.  Then, SEVEN of us piled into a Volvo (visualize sardines) and went to:  Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Austria . . . back to Germany.  Hans and I then rode a shuttle to Frankfurt, flew to Iceland, flew to Denver, and drove to Grand Junction.

Of all the places we saw, I'm starting with Auschwitz. It was shattering. When I look at the 500 photos I took of that place,  I'm numb all over again.   You might notice, this is Part I.  There is no way I can put Auschwitz together into one post.  It's just too emotionally draining.

So, we'll start with how the day began, and I'll add some 'travel advice' just in case anyone out there is planning a trip to Eastern Europe.  Most hotels in and around Krakow offer tours to Auschwitz.  You load into a bus and travel just over an hour to the concentration camp.  We didn't do that.  At first, I was bummed that we hadn't made reservations for the tour from our hotel (Hotel Amber), but after all was said and done, it turned out for the best.   If you don't go with a tour, the only time you're allowed in is from 8:00 - 10:00 a.m. That meant we were up early and on the road by 6:30 a.m.

That also meant the masses of people weren't there yet ! You will notice in some of the photos below, we were the only ones there for much of the time.  We used the book, "Rick Steves Eastern Europe" as our tour guide. 

Leaving the entry building through the exit, the first thing in view was that notorious gate.

The cruel, sarcastic message on the gate reads, "Arbeit Macht Frei."

Translated: "Work Sets You Free."  

This is a replica of the original gate, as it was stolen in 2009, and found two days later cut into three pieces.  Those pieces are now in the museum's possession.

The "B" was welded on upside down by belligerent inmates. Once there, new prisoners were told the truth.  Work would not get them out of the camp.  The only way out was as ashes that drifted out of the crematorium chimneys. 

As we walked through that gate,  the day hit me square in the face.  It was cold, gray, rainy-snowy, and windy.  I was glad I had on a warm hat, gloves, several layers including a waterproof-hooded coat, warm socks, and boots.  I was still just a bit chilled . . . until I realized I had come to a place where many of the prisoners had been stripped of all their clothing and had cold water thrown on them in sub-freezing temperatures.  I decided I wasn't just a bit chilled at all.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Where many stood naked and froze to death . . .

If a Polish prisoner escaped, the family members were arrested and sent to Auschwitz. They were made to stand under a sign announcing the reason for their arrest and that they would remain in the camp until the fugitive was found, so that other prisoners would be aware of this policy.

This main road leads past the barracks where an average of 14,000 prisoners were kept at one time.

When Hitler began implementing his "Final Solution," (his plan to annihilate the Jews of Europe in 1941), it became clear that Auschwitz lacked the capacity to kill its victims in large enough numbers.  So, the Nazis built Birkenau two miles away.  The original plan was for this camp to hold 200,000 people, but at its peak, it held 'only' about 100,000.  They were still adding onto it when the camp was liberated in 1945.

By this time, at least 1.1 million people had been murdered in Auschwitz - approximately 960,000 of them were Jewish.

*****

Auschwitz - (OWSH-vits)

Birkenau - (BEER-keh-now)