Activity Review: Auschwitz - Visit to Death Camp
To learn how we picked our tour company and other facts, read our Krakow post!
Even as I write this sentence, the visit to the notorious death camp is still incredibly difficult to process. Before, during and afterwards, it is strange to know what to do for the blog. In the end, this blog is to show the world what happened here; rather than showing the world that I've been here.
First Footage
Once we were promptly picked up at our hotel, we began with an hour or so documentary that was originally showed at the Auschwitz exhibit until it produced too many queues. Unlike other BBC or history books, it was produced entirely from original Soviet footage when they liberated the camp. Safe to say, it prepared us to witness what was hell on earth.
Liberated on 27 January 1944 by the Soviets, the soldiers described it was the worst thing they had ever seen - and they had been in some rough battles on the Eastern Front. Because of the sheer size of the Auschwitz and Birkenau and then the surrounding camps, it took over a month to relocate the victims to the brick buildings of Auschwitz during the winter. The footage displayed a month’s worth of film and it was horrifying… We were well prepared to visit the camp!
Arrival at Auschwitz
Once you arrive at Auschwitz, there is a ticket office, small bookshop and cafe. Similar to other tourist destinations, I would be prepared to pay a premium or just bring from home! There are a few outside exhibits to read whilst you wait on your guide.
-
Entrance to the Camp
Travel tip: Do not bring backpacks or large purses, they are not allowed inside the museum!
Our guide was absolutely wonderful! She grew up and lives in a nearby village and has worked at the museum for 15 years. This is where paying for a “tour from Krakow” was absolutely worth it if you like history! We were a group of 7 and had an entire guide to ourselves!
Work Will Set You Free
Beginning our tour, we walked through the very infamous gate at the main Auschwitz camp that states - Work will set you free. While I have read in many history and fiction books that there were many main and satellite camps at Auschwitz, the main camp is the only one with the gate! The other camps just have “normal” gates of death.
Compared to the larger sister Birkenau camp 5km away, the main camp has only 28 brick buildings that use to be Polish army barracks. During the 1940s, it housed primarily women, POWs, Polish prisoners, and Gypsyies. Once it was liberated, it helped house the 7,000 or so survivors as it has brick buildings that shielded them from the elements. Nowadays, it holds the excellent exhibit detailing the horrors that occurred here.
I won’t go too much into the exhibit as I truly believe everyone has to experience it firsthand. The following pictures and facts are the ones that really hit home and made the scenes really difficult to imagine or think about.
Visit to Death Camp
The victims truly came from across Europe - even the UK as they invaded the Channel Islands! The average lifespan in the camp was approximately 3-6 months and was wholly dependent on luck, physical and mental strength.
Surprisingly, although based in Poland, Hungarian Jews were the biggest population killed here. Our guide stated they all arrived within 56 days and almost 500k were killed. However, our guide also said this is an estimate as only 30% of those who arrived at Auschwitz were recorded.
The Model & Method
As our guide stated, because these were Germans, the model and killing methods were extremely efficient. The exhibit shows a model of the now-destroyed crematoriums and how cruel they were. Once offloaded from the train, they were selected for work or for immediate death. They walked into a one-way tunnel where they had one room to undress, then led into another large room for the showers. Afterwards, the Sonderkampos would take the bodies directly into the crematoriums. It was horrifically efficient.
Before the Jewish Solution was decided in 1943, Auschwitz was home of the gas experiments that led the way to the most effective and efficient way of killing mass groups. The Germans locked 600 Soviet POWs into a basement and then measured the perfect amount of Zyknol B would kill all of them. In the end, it only took 7 grams…
Countless Belongings
As the Soviets advanced to the camp, the Germans started destroyed all the buildings and documents to cover up their crimes. However, they forgot about one thing - the “Canada” warehouses holding the victims’ countless belongings. At the exhibit, they dedicate an building to these items to demonstrate the sheer volume at the camp. We saw rooms full of hair, shoes, Zyknol B canisters, suitcases, shoes, eyeglasses, and dishes. Too many to count…
Block 11
Perhaps one of the worst buildings in the main camp is Block 11 - the torture block. For good reason, we could not take pictures inside the building and I am not sure if I would want to…
The cells downstairs were horrific - even worse than the main housing blocks. There were starving chambers that they would lock 5 or so people until they starved. They had small 3x3ft standing cells that they would squeeze 3-5 people inside until they all died through suffocation. Worst of all, the suffocation cells were very small, but they managed to fit 30 people in there and they only had a small vent to breathe from. I don’t know how someone could sit there and watch this happen...
Roll Call Square
As one can imagine, walking around the camp complex is very errie and hauntingly silent. Even a few days after visiting, it is hard to imagine that we visited as so much death occurred there and I cannot believe other humans endured it. One of the worst outdoor places in the main camp is the roll call square.
At the “square”, roll call would often last anywhere from 2 to 19 hours, twice a day, regardless of the weather. Whilst roll call was ongoing, they would also execute disobedient prisoners or just because they wanted to instill more fear into them. It was here that we sadly learned that out of the 7,000 guards or soldiers at Auschwitz, only 10% were found and prosecuted.
Last Stop, Worst Spot
For our last stop, we visited the crematorium - or the worst stop. For obvious reasons, we weren’t allowed to take pictures. It was here that they started to begin their mass murdering spree and it was incredibly difficult to stand there and imagine what happened.
Birkenau - Visit to the Death Camp
Unlike the main Auschwitz camp, Birkenau was built primarily as a death camp that turned into a work camp because they realized they could also get more free labor before people died. From the main camp, you can take a free shuttle or your private bus. For some prisoners, they would have to walk the 5km to the various work sites…
Unlike Auschwitz, Birkenau is extremely flat as there is nothing around the camp. This meant the camp was very exposed to the weather elements - especially wind. Surprisingly, the camp is very massive and just appears never-ending. However, there is only building clearly visible from the town - the Gate of Death.
Toilet Barrack
Our first stop was the toilet barracks. Situated at the far end, some people had to walk over 1km to visit. There weren’t many toilets in here so I can’t imagine how crowded and disgusting it was while it was in use. These rows of stone toilets were designed to humiliate and belittle the victims. However, for some folks, it was a fantastic day job as it meant inside work and “more” privileges.
Living Quarters
Next we visited the living quarters. As awful as the pictures and documentaries show us, the room had a heater, but did not have any fuel. There were huge bunk beds that fit 12 people per row. The bottom bunk was the worse bunk as the most sickly were there. Eventually, everyone did the cycle from the top bunk to the bottom…
Cattle Car & the Walk of Death
Standing in the middle of the complex is a single cattle car. Used as an illustration, over 100 people were often squeezed into the car for days at a time. Once they arrived at Auschwitz, they went through the selection process. Afterwards, they would go walk the last 400m of their life… Or, if they were “lucky”, they would walk to their barrack.
Memorial
For the last stop on our visit, we went to the memorial located next to the destroyed crematoriums at the very back of the camp. As I mentioned earlier, the crematoriums were destroyed shortly before the camp's liberation. Using the above model as a guide, you can see the outline of the killing chambers. It was awful.
For the touching memorial, they have a plaque that says the same thing written in every language of the victims. As we walked down the row, we tried our best guessing the various languages but eventually you just lose count. There are too many languages. We found the English plaque at the very end.
From the memorial, it is a very long walk back to the Gate of Death. The walk is a stark reminder of the sheer scale of mass murder that occurred here, and leaves plenty of time to contemplate what you just witnessed.
Like I mentioned at the very beginning, it is hard to imagine what happened here. On this December day, it was 40F or 6C and we were bundled up in our heavy jackets, scarfs, and gloves. For those prisoners, they only had their PJs. I complained about our light breakfast this morning, yet they often starved to death. The visit definitely makes you appreciate the little things in your life, whilst also remembering those who suffered so much.
The UnChartered Summary
- Go. Learn from history’s mistakes. Remember the many victims.
- I would highly recommend Krakow Direct - if only for the small tour group and fantastic private guide! The comfortable minibus also picks up and drops off at your hotel and is perfect for quick naps.